The Beautiful and the Damned
by stfuSPARKS
Summary: Our eyes are placed in front because it is more important to look ahead than to look back. AU/Sasusaku
1. sunrise, sunset

_A/N: As of 2012, this story has been completely__ rewritten. If you read this story in the past, I suggest you reread it for this fanfic has gone through some major plot changes. Without further ado, enjoy!_****

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**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED**

**stfuSPARKS**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters, and I don't own Sunrise Sunset by the Bright Eyes either. I only own the plot._

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_Our eyes are placed in front because it is more import ant to look ahead than to look back._

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**PROLOGUE**

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_It was another one of those days again._

He hated this routine.

Every single day, he would wake up to the same damn room.

Every morning, he would receive orders.

Orders to _kill._

It was inevitable though- because this is what who he was, this was what he was born to do.

This was what they expected of him.

No more, no less.

His name was Uzumaki Naruto- but to the outside world, he was simply known as the murderer with no face- the murderer known as Kyuubi. Being named after the mythical demon known to have destroyed half of the world many centuries ago- would his parents really be proud of him? He would never know, he disdainfully thought. The notion of having a family was foreign to him.

Maybe the fact that he was nicknamed after such a monstrous creature should have disturbed him; but if it did, he showed no signs of it.

He carried on with his routine every day, as any other person would- acting as if he wasn't a murderer.

As if his hands had never been stained crimson by blood.

But he knew it, and his partners did too-

_There was no way to purify yourself once you committed the sin._

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**I.**

**Sunrise, Sunset**

_And she raised her hands in the air and asked you,_

"_When was the last time you looked in the mirror?"_

_'Cause you've changed._

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"Uzumaki Naruto."

The boy who looked no older than eighteen raised his left hand to make his presence known in the small, suffocating room. He briefly glanced around at his surroundings and silently thanked god he wasn't claustrophobic- the windowless dark room was disturbing enough on its own. He ran his other hand through his rebellious, tousled bright blond hair, the sparkle in his cerulean blue eyes present but slowly fading.

"Present." He gave the speaker a smug smirk. His childish voice was confident and firm- never revealing the true intimidation he felt deep inside, growing in the pit of his stomach. He cast a curious look at the other five men in the room, who were each waiting for their respective names to be called out.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto's eyes narrowed down into slits when he heard the next name. He tried to act mature but he couldn't help it- he venomously glared across at his handsome somewhat friend and rival. The other boy's raven colored hair was dark and neat, the opposite of Naruto's bright appearance. Also in contrast to Naruto's tan skin, Sasuke's was pale and unmarred. His deep onyx eyes were deep and calculating, hiding whatever he was thinking behind a stoic composure.

_If Naruto was the sun, Sasuke was the moon._

"Hn." His deep voice was enough to send shivers up Naruto's spine.

He was so cold and cruel, Naruto thought.

"Hyuuga Neji."

Naruto's attention shifted over to the tallest boy of the bunch- a boy who was apparently a little older than the rest of them. His sickly pale skin was revealed as he raised his hand as well, in a much more graceful and elegant manner than Naruto had done. His face, however, betrayed absolutely nothing as his eerie crystal white eyes held a transparent look. His long silky brown hair was conveniently tied into a loose ponytail at the back, revealing sophisticated high cheekbones and a thin jawline that Naruto was always secretly jealous of.

"Also present," The Hyuuga answered in a quiet voice. Despite the low tone, he did not sound timid at all- his voice was threateningly deadly, malice heavily dripping from his curt two words.

"Nara Shikamaru."

Now there was a friendly name- Naruto's face split into a grin as he watched his close friend wake up from his nap at hearing his name being called. The lazy boy with the strange, pineapple-shaped dark brown hair looked up with a disinterested look in his sharp almond eyes. He yawned, slowly stretching his arms above his head as he sat up a bit straighter in his chair.

"Here," Shikamaru answered informally, before leaning back again. Naruto couldn't help but be amused at the other boy's lack of formality even before his superiors- that was how Shikamaru would always be.

"Inuzuka Kiba."

"Present, as always!" Naruto could only roll his eyes as an arrogantly loud voice spoke up, interrupting the silence in the room. He shot an irritated glance at his other friend, a canine-resembling boy with a smug look on his face. His shaggy brown hair hung over his eyes, shadowing the upper half of his face; but it was hard for Naruto to forget those sly, cunning eyes that seemed to know everything. Strange red markings covered his cheeks, attaching him to the clan he had abandoned long ago.

Just like the rest of them had.

"Sabaku no Gaara."

The atmosphere in the room grew tense as the last of them was called- a boy, slightly shorter than the rest, who was leaning against the wall in a corner of the room. His eyes opened sharply, revealing his pale emerald eyes, surrounded by dark shadows that were a clear indication of insomnia. Naruto's eyes couldn't help but wander up towards the boy's forehead- hiding under his crimson red hair, was a bold tattoo that spelled the word 'love' in kanji symbols. The blonde thought it was ironic, really.

The boy who had never been loved- maybe the tattoo was there to make up for something else that had never been present throughout his life.

The man standing in front of them gave them a pleased smile.

"Welcome," The silver haired man said, his voice polite and warm. His smile slightly faltered when none of the other occupants of the room made a move to acknowledge his greeting. Nevertheless, he continued to speak. "I am pleased to see all six of you are here with me today. It is a rarity for you to be together nowadays, is it not?" He pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, observing every single member of the room. "Ever sine the incident of the..."

"Get on with your point." Sasuke snarled, his eyes narrowing in distaste. "I don't have time to waste here."

For a moment, the man's smile disappeared altogether.

"Well-" His smile was back again, as if nothing had happened. "-ever since the incident, you boys haven't bothered to reform your team, have you?" The stranger asked. The tension in the room heightened visibly. "Well, Orochimaru-sama has decided to reunite you once again for the first time in three years- for a very specific purpose." He smirked as their full attention finally shifted onto him. "You now all work as separately hired assassins, correct?"

There was no answer.

"But do you remember who you used to be before?"

Naruto winced, as a familiar name pierced through his head, bringing back painful memories he had long ago tried to bury into the depths of his heart, despite knowing that they would never fully disappear. It was a curse, more than anything, but he didn't have the right to forget either.

It had been his fault, after all.

Not only him though- _all _of them carried the heavy guilt within them.

"The Shinobi."

"But you all agreed to split up after the incident… and never reformed again."

"So what?" Kiba's impatient behavior got the best of him, his pained expression not escaping Naruto's sharp gaze. "I don't see any law forbidding us to go our own separate ways. Time passes, people change. We simply grew tired of each other's company." Something about his words was slightly unconvincing- he had always been the worst liar out of them all.

"Ah, touché, Kiba, but don't you remember that Orochimaru hired you during your last year together? He gave you seven different assassination missions, but you never bothered to finish off the final murder."

Naruto visibly paled. Of course they remembered the seven missions with Orochimaru; none of them had really bothered to remind each other about it. They had been too busy arguing with each other, cutting each other out of their respective lives in order to pretend that nothing had ever happened.

"I called all of you here today, to request that you complete the last mission you were unable to accomplish three years ago with Orochimaru-sama."

"And if we don't agree?" Neji asked back coldly, his face unchanging as his voice hardened with every word he spoke.

Kabuto grinned, but this time it looked purely sadistic. There was something about how the corners of his lips quirked slightly upwards, how his smile didn't quite reach his eyes, that greatly disturbed Naruto deep to the core.

"Then you will be ready to accept the consequences."

Somehow, none of them wanted to ask exactly _what _the consequences were going to be.

"What's our new mission then?" Neji directly asked.

Naruto was briefly reminded of the old days, when they had been a team and Neji had always taken control. There had always been a mutual, unspoken agreement that Neji was their leader. While Naruto and Kiba both had the right amount of will power and determination, their highly undeveloped childish personalities and rash decisions prevented them from assuming leadership. Shikamaru would have been an excellent leader for his wits and intelligence, but he was far too lazy to assume such a big responsibility. Sasuke and Gaara were also both highly intelligent and equally as strong, but both lacked the social abilities (especially in communication) to lead them.

Neji was indeed the right choice. He had been unfairly rejected to be the leader of his clan solely for being born with the wrong blood- so he would redeem himself by becoming the leader of something much, _much _more terrible.

"I don't recall ever giving my agreement on accepting this mission." Sasuke retorted, his tone even icier as he glared at Neji. Despite the fact that they had both abandoned their respective families _years_ ago, their clan rivalry would always remain. "And I remember saying three years ago that I would never agree to reforming the Shinobi."

"Well I don't see any choice in the matter," Neji shot back, glaring at Sasuke. "You were the one so insistent on accepting the missions from Orochimaru years ago."

Sasuke stayed silent this time, but Naruto noticed the way he clenched his fists by his sides- his submission to Orochimaru years ago had always been a delicate subject for the Uchiha. One that sane people usually did not bring up unless they wanted to be mauled.

"Calm down," The man with the glasses at the front said with that same creepy smile. "Sasuke-kun, you must agree to this, for it was in the contract three years ago. Orochimaru-sama isn't very happy that you boys dropped his mission without notice."

Sasuke snorted, but didn't say otherwise. He wasn't a man of many words.

"Well you will be starting tomorrow then. I would like for you to report to me first thing tomorrow morning at exactly nine."

The man gave them another smile before dismissing them with a wave of the hand.

One by one, they each trudged out of the room. Until only Naruto was left, thinking over what he had just been told.

Roughly around four years ago, fate brought together seven young boys with nowhere to go and no one to turn to- a group that would later be known as simply 'The Shinobi'. They each hid invisible scars in their hearts, and they each had their tragic sob stories- but none of them ever bothered to share their pasts with each other. Some things were better left unsaid and buried underground. After all, they weren't there to compete for the most angst-filled background of the year.

They were simply seven broken boys, who would never be put back together again.

So they joined together to do what they were best at- at the only thing they would _ever_ be good at- they would kill. Each had their own reasons for being there- but no one asked, and no one pried. It was an unspoken rule that their past no longer mattered. The present was important now.

The seven of them worked together so well for a full year- yet there was no sense of friendliness and _bonds_ between them. They each liked to keep to themselves. For people as open as Naruto and Kiba, it was difficult for a friendship to not blossom, and soon they became friends, including the lethargic but nonetheless friendly Shikamaru.

But that was as far as they would ever get- because the other three boys were far more damaged than anyone else. Sasuke was cold and distant (Naruto sometimes wondered if the Uchiha deliberately did not approach them, or if it was his fear of becoming attached to people that prevailed) but it was clear to them that he considered the rest of the group somewhat were the closest thing to family that he would ever have.

Neji, instead, was completely distant, not bothering to warm up to them at all- sometimes, he thought that his superior position as leader put him on a different level than them (and those were the times when he regretted being their leader at all).

No one really knew anything about Gaara- Naruto had talked to him once or twice, but they couldn't even be called acquaintances, for they hardly ever even had a conversation. For as long as Naruto could remember, Gaara had always been plagued by insomnia. His lack of communication with others had not changed at all with the years, but he kept to his business and did not stick his nose where it didn't belong- which was all he needed to survive as a 'Shinobi'.

Despite all their differences, they worked surprisingly well together- each had a feature to make up for another's flaw. They perfected mission after mission over time, never leaving even the slightest opening for failure. They were a team- an assassination team, but still a team.

Until the incident.

There was no other name for it- there was simply no way to give name to the horrible tragedy that had happened that night.

Seven boys became six.

None of them really ever knew why Rock Lee was a part of their team. Naruto had never seen such a strong-willed, determined and passionate person before; Lee was the one who always saw the cup half-full, even when Naruto couldn't. He was pure at heart and naive in the head, attributes that were simply not associated with people like them. He probably had his own reasons for joining as well-

But they would never know.

He was the bright light of their group, getting along with every single one of them. Where Naruto had failed, Lee succeeded, and went as far as to befriend both Neji and Gaara as well. He was a strong fighter, and sometimes far too poetic for his own good.

Knowing Lee's persona, it wasn't all that hard to believe that he would sacrifice himself to save someone else.

But none of them would have ever expected him to sacrifice himself for one of their _targets_.

They all knew the rules of being assassins- once they were assigned a mission, you didn't pry. You didn't ask about the target- the target merely became a goal to reach; he or she wasn't to be considered even _human_. It would just make it harder.

Seven assassinations were to be carried out in order for the mission to be complete- each of the boys had decided to take on a target. It had been fairly easy- none of the other victims had put up a fight. It was hard to compete with a gun or a sniper when you were bare-handed.

Neji had been the one in charge of the seventh victim- the most difficult targets were always left for the leader.

He had been the one to aim and pull the trigger. He had been the one to hide behind the bushes on that cold autumn night, observing the grand Konohagakure Bridge, waiting for his target.

When he fired the gun, it was far too late to turn back.

Another person jumped out to protect the target- and Neji only knew one person who could be faster than a bullet.

Rock Lee.

By the time he speedily made his way back to the bridge, his target was gone. The only thing that was left behind was Rock Lee's body, cold and unmoving.

Neji never forgave himself after that day.

He wasn't the only one. They all carried the guilt within them- why hadn't they noticed sooner? Perhaps if they had paid Lee a little bit more attention, they would have noticed that he was somehow tied to the target. They could have saved him somehow- they could have talked it out, or protected him. But they didn't, and that was the part that hurt the most.

There was something that crumbled within them the moment Lee died- something that would always prevent them from becoming a team again. It was far too late to try to salvage the pieces to their fake family. It had been something impossible to begin with- how long would they have really lasted? Even without Lee's death, their farce was bound to destroy itself sooner or later.

That's when they decided to disband 'the Shinobi'. There was no use in acting as a team when they could only do so on the outside. They each went their separate ways, secretly hoping to never see each other again, despite all their ties.

Damaged people like them were better off being alone anyways.

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Naruto wasn't exactly prepared for the extreme tension in the room the next morning.

"It's a beautiful morning isn't it?" The blonde forced out awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. The scars on his cheeks stretched out, almost resembling whiskers as he plastered a big fat fake grin onto his face.

It had been three years since any of them had seen or talked to each other- this almost tangible awkwardness was to be expected. The lavish office seemed far too big for the presence of the six young boys who were already occupying various corners of the room.

Naruto felt a bit of relief wash over him as Kiba gave him an appreciative nod and Shikamaru raised his hand in greeting. Even Sasuke's brief glance to acknowledge his presence was welcome- Neji and Gaara straight out ignored him.

In other words, no one verbally answered him.

The twenty year old blonde scowled and simply took a seat on the leather couch, crossing his arms in a childishly offended manner. Well if they weren't going to talk, he wasn't going to either.

However, the silence did not last long- the same man who had brought them together on the previous day was back.

"I'm pleased to see that all of you are here today!" The gray haired man stepped inside, briefly polishing his round spectacles before putting them back on. Naruto was secretly surprised as well- he didn't expect every single one of them to show up. He had half-expected most of them to simply leave. "Your mission briefing." The man spoke again, handing a black folder to each one of them.

Kiba's ears perked up. "Something tells me this isn't a mission like all the others." He perceptively said, eyeing the piece of paper than was now in his hands.

The gray haired man nodded. "You are right, Kiba-kun. We were wrong to underestimate our seventh victim three years ago- this mission will probably require much more time and effort than any other mission you've ever been on. A direct kill will not work this time around."

"What do you mean?" Naruto blurted out, his curiosity getting the best of him. The only assassinations they had ever been on were ones that included direct kills; missions in which all they had to do was kill a subject. Sometimes, a bit of research was required because their victims were so well guarded, but most of the time they left that part up to Shikamaru.

"You may remember, that before the incident, you were ordered to eliminate seven different people."

Pained recognition flickered through their faces. How could they forget? It was the very mission that had torn them apart.

Naruto briefly recalled the background of their last mission three years ago; it had to do with an urban legend, a mere myth that was nothing more than a children's tale that circulated among other children's bedtime stories. Despite not having any memories of a family, this was a story that was etched into Naruto's mind. Perhaps the mother he could no longer remember had repeated it to him time and time again when he had been a mere infant.

It was said that thousands of years ago, there had been a war between heaven and hell, angels and demons. The angels won the war, but could not stop seven demons from escaping down to earth to disguise themselves among humans, inhabiting their bodies, so the angels would never find them. It was said that the demons were never found, and while their human containers died one after another, their powers were always transferred to a different human being each time.

Of course, this was all a silly urban legend. Who believed in heaven and hell anymore?

Apparently Orochimaru did. It was almost frightful how the power-hungry man thirsted for more knowledge about these seven different beings. Naruto always had a hunch that Orochimaru was off his rocker- but a mission was a mission and money was money. He was not in the position to question his client's motives, no matter how crazy they were.

Orochimaru had mumbled on about these seven targets being the present containers for the demons, or something of the sort. He wanted to kill them and experiment on their bodies, to see if somehow he could acquire the demons' powers. Everything about this mission screamed out _mad scientist_ to Naruto, but again: money was money.

Six of the targets had been eliminated surprisingly easily despite the high pay they were receiving. In Naruto's eyes, they were all just innocent civilians that for some unfortunate reason had been victims of Orochimaru's insanity. The seventh target was spared, thanks to Lee's sacrifice, but Neji had reported nothing strange about the girl he had been assigned to kill either.

That was why Naruto did not understand why a direct kill would not work this time around.

"I apologize for our inability to complete our last mission professionally." Neji immediately stepped up, acting as the captain of the squad. "Please deliver our apologies to Orochimaru-sama. We will make sure we complete this mission this time around."

"I will." The man nodded. "Inside the folders, you will find the profile of our last victim, Haruno Sakura."

Naruto opened his folder only to be mesmerized by a beautiful pair of pale emerald eyes.

They were almost depthless- he finally realized the meaning of the clichéd line 'to swim in someone's eyes'. Her pale porcelain-like skin almost shined, contrasting almost painfully beautifully with her long, pale pink sakura locks. Her eyes were big and her nose was adorably small, almost like a button. Her plump lips were full and a shade of natural dark pink.

She was like a fragile little doll.

He had never seen anyone so beautiful before.

And that's when he realized, he was looking at the photo of their seventh target- Haruno Sakura.

It was a bit of a waste to destroy something so attractive.

Oh well, he thought.

_Beautiful things never last anyways. _

"This mission will not be easy." The man's voice shook Naruto out of his thoughts. "All the details are inside that folder, but let me be brief- we have already taken the first step for you by enrolling the six of you into her high school. However, that is as far as we can go. You are to observe her everyday actions and gather notes about her before killing her."

"Why do we have to gather information about her if we're just going to kill her off in the end?" Kiba asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Trust me, it will be impossible to directly kill her. You must study her strengths and weaknesses for some time if you want to fully eliminate her." The man paused. "But you will see that for yourselves soon."

There it was again- that unnerving smile.

"You will report back to me in a week. Same time, same place. If you need anything, call the number at the top right hand corner of the file and ask for Yakushi Kabuto. That's me."

With those final words, the man named Kabuto finally dismissed them.

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Naruto earned a few glares from his male companions as he carelessly threw his suitcases into the living room of their new temporary headquarters. He plopped onto the couch, shooting an appreciative glance at the lodging they had been provided with.

Orochimaru was really going all out this time.

The furniture was all quite modern and the rooms were all clean and spacious- fortunately, there was one room for each one of them. Naruto didn't even want to imagine what it would have been like to be roommates with Sasuke or Neji, or even worse- _Gaara. _He momentarily shuddered, before Neji grouped all of them together into the comfy living room.

"So Shikamaru, what can you tell us about our target?" Neji wasted no time as he turned towards the Nara genius, who looked down at the folder in his hands.

"Well there's nothing much about her. She's an ordinary high school student- currently eighteen years old. She's graduating this year, which means that we are all probably enrolled as high school seniors as well. There is something unusual about her physical appearance- it seems that her pink hair is natural, but that's about it. Everything else indicates that she's a perfectly normal girl."

"Only according to the files." Sasuke interjected, crossing his arms. "There might have been information that has been left out. Kabuto wasn't exactly keen on explaining all the details."

"How are we going to even disguise ourselves as high school students?" Naruto whined loudly. "I mean Kiba, Shikamaru, Sasuke and I are twenty so we can probably pass as mature seniors, but Gaara? He's twenty-one! And not to mention Neji, you're twenty-two this year! They'll never believe us!"

Kiba rolled his eyes. "We'll manage. I've seen plenty of high school brats who look much older than Neji. With the right kind of styling and stuff, Neji will be perfectly passable as a high school student."

"There's something that's bugging me." Shikamaru interrupted, looking thoughtful. Everyone's attention turned towards the pensive brunette. "Why is a direct kill impossible? I mean a direct kill is always possible with the right amount of planning and the perfect strategy. There's something that Kabuto definitely isn't telling us."

"Well we'll find out and successfully eliminate our target." Kiba said determinedly. "We can't fail again."

"So starting tomorrow, it's high school life all over again, hm?" Naruto mulled it over. "We might as well enjoy it as much as we can. We'll probably never have the chance to be high schoolers again! I don't know about you guys, but I've never been to a high school."

"I have." Kiba groaned, leaning back into the comortable sofa. "I don't want to go through it again, it's so useless."

Naruto couldn't help but feel a little bit warm as his ex-team gathered around to talk for the first time in years.

A small part of him couldn't help but hope that maybe- just _maybe, _they could return to being that dysfunctional family they had been years ago.

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"Ugh, it's been ages since I had to wake up so early." Kiba groaned with a loud yawn, stretching his arms out as the six of them made their way towards the school buildings.

"I think we're attracting a lot of unnecessary attention." Shikamaru stated flatly, not even bothering to look at the swarm of girls that was currently following them through the gates. Naruto nervously glanced at them, secretly pleased at all the attention they were receiving. After all, he loved being the center of attention.

"It's all because of these two." Kiba accusingly jabbed his finger towards Sasuke and Neji, who both looked unaffected by all of the screaming and fangirling. "They're probably used to getting these kinds of reactions, the bastards."

Naruto inwardly rolled his eyes. Of course, if it was anyone it would be the Hyuuga and the Uchiha. What was wrong with girls these days? No one seemed to like a playful, outgoing man anymore. They were all too busy squealing over the _dark, _mysterious and angsty men of the group. If he was born a girl, Naruto thought, he would probably rather date a wall than Sasuke or Neji.

A wall would probably have more response.

Sasuke emptied the contents of the cup of takeaway coffee in his hand into his mouth and threw it over to a nearby trashcan. There was a brief but intense confrontation as a couple of girls fought for possession over the empty cup.

Naruto was highly disturbed now. Were all females this scary?

"So who's in class with Haruno Sakura?" Shikamaru asked, looking straight at Neji. "We can't all have been enrolled into the same class. It would look far too obvious if all six transfer students were put in the same class in one day. Kabuto can't possibly be that stupid."

Neji did not answer him.

"He _is _that stupid." Kiba said with a horrified expression on his face. "This is far too suspicious! What the hell was Kabuto thinking?"

Sasuke let out a frustrated sigh. "We'll have to come up with an excuse for our fellow classmates in case they ask us, which they probably will."

"This is going to be troublesome." Shikamaru mimicked Sasuke's sigh. "I can already feel a headache coming on. We can probably tell them that we went to a previous high school together and we requested to be put in the same class. If anyone asks why we all suddenly dropped out of the other school in the middle of the year, we can tell them the school fell apart and is currently under construction for another year."

"You're a genius Shikamaru." Naruto said in awe, looking at his friend with something akin to admiration.

"No, I'm merely used to cleaning up after your messes." Shikamaru answered modestly, looking completely disinterested.

"We're in class 308." Neji told them with a nod. "We better hurry up, the bell will ring soon."

As to prove Neji's words right, the bell loudly sounded across the grounds to signal the start of school. Students quickly scampered towards their respective classrooms, leaving the six boys to wander aimlessly around the hallways until they finally found their room.

308.

They entered to find a teacher who was lazily leaning back on his chair, with his feet resting on top of his desk. He lit up the cigarette in his mouth before turning around to face them with a big grin. Naruto made a face- what kind of teacher smoked in front of his students in his own classroom? His thoughts were interrupted as the broad-shouldered man with the beard gestured for them to come over.

The loud chattering that had filled the classroom up until a moment ago immediately quieted down as the six extremely unique boys walked up to the front of the classroom. Every single student was curiously eyeing the new additions.

"Class, we're going to have six new students starting today." The teacher said in a gruff voice. "I hope you make them feel welcome. As for you lot, you can call me Asuma-sensei. I'll be your homeroom teacher for the rest of the year. Why don't you each introduce yourselves?"

Before any of them could speak up, the door to the classroom slammed open, causing a great commotion. All eyes turned towards the interruption, as the teacher whirled around looking absolutely furious.

"Haruno Sakura, you are _late_!"

_It had begun._

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_For a sunrise or a sunset, _

_Your lover is an actress,_

_Did you really think she'd stay?_

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**A/N: A big, warm hug for all you supporters of Sweet Summer Slumber out there who support this story as well! Thanks for all your kind support :)**


	2. hate me

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**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED**

**stfuSPARKS**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the song Hate Me by Blue October :)_

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**II.**

**Hate Me **

"_So hate me today,_

_Hate me tomorrow, _

_Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you."_

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Asuma angrily slammed his fist onto his desk, causing his papers to fly everywhere. He narrowed his eyes, before saying, "Detention again, this afternoon!"

The newest addition to the classroom let out a sheepish grin. "Aw c'mon Asuma-sensei! You know I'm not going to go to detention anyways, so what's the point?" The girl said with a laugh, her voice almost melodic. It was almost mesmerizing. "Plus, I swear I have a valid reason today! I had a doctor's appointment." Her viridian eyes twinkled mirthfully.

"I'm not going to let you off so easy next time." Asume grumbled, crushing his cigarette into the ashtray on his desk. "Hurry up and take a seat you brat, can't you see I'm in the middle of an announcement?"

Sasuke quietly observed her as she walked by them, the heels of her shoes clicking loudly against the floor as she made her way towards her seat.

She was short, Sasuke noted. Granted that the majority of girls were all short under his towering height of 182cm, this girl was _especially_ short. She looked like she was no taller than 160cm- if he looked dead-on straight, he doubted that he would have been able to see her. She looked no different than in the picture they had been given- perhaps a little bit livelier, but that was a given considering that he was seeing her in person for the first time.

She was so delicate- he briefly wondered why Kabuto thought that it would be difficult to eliminate her. The school uniform, which consisted of a clean white shirt and a plaid skirt made her look even more vulnerable- she was nothng more than a simple high school student.

Their eyes briefly met for a moment.

Something momentarily jolted through him, but it was gone as fast as it had come.

She squeezed her way through the little space that was left; the classroom wasn't that spacious, and the fact that there were six fully grown men standing at the front of the room wasn't helping much. Her petite figure tried to avoid contact with them as she made her way towards her desk, but couldn't stop herself from bumping into Gaara's shoulder. Even Gaara, who was the shortest among the six of them, towered over her pink head.

The atmosphere immediately changed. Sasuke didn't need Kiba's heightened senses to see how Gaara's dark green eyes flashed dangerously as soon as her skin came into contact with his. His whole body immediately tensed up, recognition briefly flickering through his face. The pink haired girl, however, showed no signs of knowing him as she finally sat down at her desk in the far corner of the classroom.

Sasuke didn't miss the way the redhead's hand slightly twitched upwards, as if he wanted to reach out and wrap his rough hands around her thin pale neck.

"Anyways," Asuma cleared his throat, grabbing everyone's attention again. "Why don't you introduce yourselves to the rest of us?"

Neji immediately stepped up. Maybe it was the force of habit that compelled him to take charge, just like old times. "I am Hyuuga Neji." He introduced himself in a deep voice. "They are Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba, Sabaku no Gaara and Nara Shikamaru. We hope to spend a good final year with the rest of you."

Their classmates stared at them in awe. There was something incredibly powerful about their presence- and not to mention the girls were extremely taken by their physical looks. The silence in the room was broken by various whispers and murmurs among the students, compliments and insults mixed in together.

"Well isn't that lovely." One particular voice was louder than the rest. "Just what this class needed. More arrogant pretty boys."

"Be nice Sai," Another voice chided, her words dripping with sarcasm. "You'll hurt their feelings and they might start crying."

Sasuke turned his sharp onyx eyes to observe the two students who were blatantly having a conversation about him and his partners. He observed the person who had spoken first- and the Uchiha found himself staring at a slim boy who looked eerily much like himself. The boy's skin was a pale shade of sickly white, heavily contrasting with his sleek, jet black hair that hauntingly hung over his eccentric eyes. His eyes were onyx; a similar shade to the Uchiha's, but there was something extremely off about them. Sasuke couldn't quite place it, but maybe it had to do with the fact that his eyes seemed absolutely _dead_.

It was as if he was staring at a corpse.

The boy, supposedly named Sai, immediately snapped his gaze towards Sasuke, staring back. The corners of his lips turned slightly upwards into a polite smile, almost mocking him. Something about the smile highly irritated Sasuke.

A lot.

Their gaze was broken when the second participant of the conversation poked Sai in the ribs. It was the pink haired girl, their one and only target. Judging by the familiarity in her voice, they were probably close friends, Sasuke noted.

"No one asked for your opinion, Dumb and Dumber." Asuma growled, his eyes narrowing down. Sakura rolled her eyes, muttering something that sounded a lot like 'old man' before she leaned back into the chair, looking out the window. "You six! Take a free seat and make sure not to interrupt the rest of my lesson." The bearded man barked, and the six boys obediently took a seat among the rest of the students.

Sasuke didn't miss the way Gaara's gaze never left the pink haired girl.

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* * *

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"I don't like her." Kiba flatly stated, crossing his arms as they waited in line for their lunch. "She's a typical teenage spoiled brat. She probably bullies other students all the time." It was ironic and quite poetic too, really, how a person with a career such as his could have such a strong sense of justice, even when it came to small things like bullying. None of the other boys paid attention to his words, except for Naruto.

"I dunno," Naruto said thoughtfully, scratching his cheek. "She seems to be alright, she's probably just being a girl. I doubt that a girl that cute can be completely terrible." His sky blue eyes sparkled before cautiously looking towards Gaara. "Is it just me, or did Gaara seem a little bit strange back there?" He whispered to Kiba- but his voice was loud enough for all of them to hear.

Shikamaru let out an exasperated sigh at his friend's obvious gossiping. "We can all hear you, you know." He told them, and Naruto jumped, looking extremely sheepish. "But Naruto's right. Is there something you're not telling us Gaara?"

Shikamaru was either a complete idiot or genius. Naruto hoped for the latter.

Gaara's eyes momentarily left the ground to observe the brunette boy who had spoken to him. "It is amusing to see you converse about this girl as if you're not going to kill her in cold blood." He finally spoke, his voice barely audible over the loud chatter that filled the cafeteria. It was typical of Gaara to steer the conversation away from himself and onto something Naruto was clearly uncomfortable with.

All of them knew that Naruto was the one who was the least adapted to their lifestyle, no matter how many years it had been. He was too pure of heart- and sometimes, Sasuke secretly envied that, because his own heart had been lost years ago.

However, no matter how lazy Shikamaru was, the genius wasn't one to back down from a challenge when he saw one. He _was _a male after all. "Your body language indicates that you already know this girl on a personal level. The way you reacted before was an obvious sign that this isn't the first time you meet her." He didn't dare add that the hatred that had flashed through the redhead's eyes could not possibly be superficial.

"It has nothing to do with you." Gaara's reply was steely. Naruto and Kiba both nervously glanced back and forth between the two boys, sensing a storm coming along soon.

"On the contrary; we are here to observe the target, to find out more about her. Every single detail could be crucial." Shikamaru pointed out. It was a battle of the wits. "If you won't tell us, it'll only take me a day to find out. Don't forget that I have connections."

Neji's pearly white eyes turned towards the redhead as well. "Is there something you're hiding from us?" The Hyuuga asked, his voice steady and firm.

"I am not hiding anything. I simply withheld certain information that I considered to be useless for our mission."

Naruto was positive that he had never heard Gaara speak so much in his life.

"Gaara, I probably won't be able to stop Shikamaru from digging into your life if you don't tell us yourself." Neji told him. Gaara's face didn't betray anything, but his emerald eyes briefly flashed with anger.

"We were personally involved in the past." Gaara told them, and Sasuke knew that it was all he would reveal to them.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, and he couldn't stop himself in time. "Does that mean you _dated _her?" He shrieked, his voice sounding extremely shrilly. Sasuke rolled his eyes at his so-called best friend's density. "You had a _girlfriend _Gaara?" The blonde asked disbelievingly, his face contorted into a mixture of confusion and shock. "Why have I never heard of this before?"

Despite finding Naruto's outburts completely ridiculous, Sasuke couldn't help but be mildly surprised himself. It was true that Gaara had always kept to himself, not bothering to get much closer to them even during their time spent together in the past- but solely based on his closed off personality, the Uchiha never would have guessed that the redhead could be romantically interested in _anyone_. Though Gaara's looks were fairly above average, it was his lack of emotions that would probably prevent him from having a romantic partner at all. He couldn't picture Gaara being all lovey-dovey with someone of the opposite sex.

"It was all in the past." Gaara said curtly. They all understood that the conversion was now over.

Before any of them could start up the conversation once again, a blur of pink flashed before their eyes. They all turned around to observe their target as she cheerfully carried her homemade bento in her hands, walking beside the taller pale boy they had seen before. She was having an inaudible conversation with him- it was impossible to hear what they were saying from that distance, but from what Sasuke could see, she was doing all the talking while Sai merely listened and occasionally nodded.

"Look who it is." A girl with flaming red hair next to the boys sneered. "The pink haired freak and the piss poor artist."

"Karin!" The girl next to her slapped her friend's arm. "Not so loud, they'll hear us!"

"It's impossible for them to hear us you idiot, look at how far away they are." The girl named Karin snapped at her friend. Sasuke quietly agreed- it had been barely loud enough for him to hear, and he was barely standing a meter away from her. It wasn't physically possible for the pink haired girl or her friend to hear them- they were standing at least seven meters away.

It might have been a coincidence- but in that moment, even among the crowded cafeteria, Sasuke saw Haruno Sakura's face snap towards their direction, her vivid orbs piercing into Karin's face. Karin immediately shuddered at the intensity of the other girl's glare; but as fast as it had come, it was gone. Sakura carried on casually conversing with her friend, as if nothing had happened.

His onyx eyes silently followed her figure as she walked out towards the direction of the rooftop.

"So..." Naruto awkwardly spoke again, scratching the back of his head. "Shouldn't we go follow her or something? Try to befriend her? Isn't that what Kabuto told us to do? Gain her trust or something... right?"

"We would probably overwhelm her if all six of us approached her at the same time." Neji spoke up. "Judging by how she spoke to us before, I doubt that she's very friendly. It would be best if Naruto or Kiba talked to her first."

Sasuke felt a pang of disappointment in his chest. He wanted to find out more about the mysterious girl- she intrigued him. But the Hyuuga was probably right- Sasuke wasn't very good at making friends, while there was a certain warmth about Naruto that seemed to pull everyone in.

"Leave it to me!" Naruto enthusiastically exclaimed, leaving the lunch line to follow after the girl. His partners merely watched as he slightly stumbled, before regaining his composure and running towards the rooftop.

The rooftop wasn't far from the cafeteria- it only took him two flights of stairs and two more minutes to get to the top. Just as he had expected, the door was unlocked.

As soon as he stepped out, he shivered, wishing he had brought his coat with him as he felt the chilly autumn breeze tickle his skin. His plain beige trousers and white shirt (part of the school uniform that Kabuto had provided them with) did nothing to warm him up. Naruto had never been good with the cold- he was more of a summer person, really. He was surprised to see that the pink haired girl sitting against the wall didn't seem affected at all, despite the fact that her legs were bare, courtesy of the short plaid skirt she was wearing.

He looked at her in wonder as she distractedly munched on the corner of her sandwich, staring off into the sky. She looked so _fragile_; he was sure that she would definitely break as soon as he touched her. He had never seen a girl so intruigingly beautiful as she was. To be honest, the conditions of his life had prevented him from ever being around many females in general- but she was definitely the most striking one he had ever seen.

"Hey," The blonde greeted her, using one hand to flatten down his wild hair and the other to wave at her. "Mind if I join you? It can get really noisy downstairs. I think I like it better up here."

Of course this wasn't true. Naruto loved to be in noisy places, being the loudest one himself- he had always considered himself the life of the party. But this was a mission, and he needed to adapt himself to her surroundings if he wanted to reach out to her.

He hesitated, before taking a seat next to her on the cold ground. He received no answer from her- only a slight glance before she returned to glaring at her half-eaten sandwich. He briefly wondered how in the world he was going to become friends with her if she was so difficult to approach. How had the raven-haired boy named Sai done it? Their interaction level was close to zero right now.

His eyes widened as his stomach let out a loud rumble. His cheeks flushed red in embarrassment, remembering that he had been too excited to follow after her to actually remember to pick up his lunch beforehand. He watched her from the corner of his eye as she glanced at him one more time. He would _never_ get a girlfriend at this rate.

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, wishing that the ground would just swallow him whole right then and there. He felt her move next to him, and decided to slightly open one eye to peek at what she was doing. To his surprise, the remaining half of her sandwich was shoved towards his face.

"I don't want it." She muttered, facing away from him. "You can just have it. It would be a waste to throw away food."

His face split into a wide grin, showing off a set of shiny white teeth. "Thanks!" He exclaimed, before proceeding to wolf down the food that had been given to him. She didn't even turn to look in his direction, but he could tell that this was her form of an apology for this morning. "You're a nice person," He commented, making sure to swallow his food before speaking. "I knew you'd be nice! Cute girls can't be mean."

He expected her to blush, or even smile, but she did neither. She simply turned to the left to finally face him.

"I'm not."

He looked at her in surprise at her honest answer.

"I'm not a nice person." She repeated, her viridian eyes turning dull. "Deep down inside I'm horrible."

Naruto was overcome by a sudden urge to hug her. For a second, she looked like she was nothing more than a lost little girl, begging to be comforted. He wanted to wrap his arms around her tiny frame and hug her tightly until she smiled, but then he realized that it would probably just drive her away. He resorted to putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I've seen my fair share of horrible people in my life before, but you don't seem like one." When she didn't answer once again, Naruto decided that it was finally time to pull the big guns out and mention Gaara. Hopefully, she would tell him something about their past relationship. "I mean I have a friend named Gaara. He's always mean and doesn't treat everyone that nicely, but I know that he's a good person deep inside as well." He said tentatively.

Her face showed no signs of recognition.

"I think Gaara knows you," He continued casually, eyeing her face. "The redhead from before, one of the new guys who transferred with me."

Her face scrunched up as she tried to recall him from that morning. "I know who you're talking about," She finally said. "But today is the first time I've ever seen him in my life. I'm sure he's just confusing me with someone else."

"Well it's hard for anyone to confuse you with someone else." Naruto pointed out. "You have pink hair and green eyes. Where else are you going to find someone who even remotely looks like you?"

She looked at him carefully, as if she was analyzing him. "I was in a car accident three years ago." She finally confessed. "I damaged my brain and I got amnesia. The doctors said they weren't sure when I'd get my memory back... but it's been years and I still can't remember anything." She sounded frustrated. "Did this Gaara guy say he knows me?"

"Kind of." Naruto admitted. "He doesn't really talk about his private matters, so I'm not sure."

"Talking behind people's backs? Didn't think you were capable of that, Naruto."

The blonde froze as Gaara's icy cold voice cut through their conversation. The pink haired girl cast a curious look towards the red haired boy who had joined them on the rooftop. She momentarily recognized him as the boy Naruto had been talking about- but she was frustrated to see that despite everything, she still had no idea of who he was to her. In her eyes, he was a mere stranger- if he had somehow been a part of her life before the incident, it was all gone.

Within a second, Naruto saw Sakura's frustrated face disappear as her face morphed right before his eyes. The tough front she had used that morning to disguise her flaws was back, and he saw a sneer overcome her face at the new addition. The lost little girl was gone, leaving no traces behind. Instead, the same girl who had mocked them alongside Sai stood in her place.

"Long time no see, Sakura."

Naruto had no time to react. Before the pink haired girl could even answer, he shielded his eyes as the silver object in Gaara's hand momentarily glinted in the sunlight. His heart dropped as he recognized the familiar object- it was a gun.

He shot.

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* * *

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Kiba's ears twitched.

The cafeteria was nearly empty now that lunch time was nearing its end. Students were now mostly back in their own classrooms or outside on the grounds, enjoying the sunny autumn weather. It made it much easier for Kiba's sensitive ears to pick up distinct sounds.

"Our hearing isn't nearly as good as yours," Shikamaru had to remind him, poking around at his untouched potato mash lying coldly on his plate.

"Oh yeah," Kiba said, scratching his ear. Sometimes it was hard for him to remember that not everyone was like the Inuzuka clan. His heightened senses were certainly an advantage when it came to missions. "I don't know, I swear I just heard a gunshot coming from somewhere above us." His sharp almond eyes glanced at the stairs.

Realization hit Sasuke first. They were all professional assassins- how had they not noticed?

"Gaara's gone." The Uchiha stated flatly, abruptly standing up. He didn't wait for his other companions to understand what he said before he ran towards the stairs, leaving his tray untouched in the cafeteria. The sound of numerous footsteps right behind him let him know that his partners were following him, equally as anxious.

He burst through the door, dreading for the worst.

One sure fact was that Uchiha Sasuke was not an easily impressed man. He had seen many things during his short life, and he had reached the point in which things hardly surprised him anymore. From the insanity of people to talent and skill, he had almost seen it all. Living with five other men who were equally as unique as himself, he thought he had experienced it all. Sure, Kiba's extremely keen senses were intriguing, and Shikamaru's extreme intelligence was admirable. Naruto's endless energy and Neji's all-knowing eyes were quite interesting as well, but-

But this was entirely new to him.

Gaara still had his gun drawn out, his position indicating that it had been used merely seconds ago. Naruto was sitting in the corner, his eyes squeezed shut as he didn't dare to look at the scene before him.

The pink haired girl. The bullets were lying on the floor, almost flat as if they had been shot into a cement wall. This was the kind of thing that was in the movies and comic books- like Superman stopping bullets with his bare hands, and other things of the sort. But this didn't happen in real life. She furiously glared at her aggressor, a frenzied mixture of anger and fear swimming in her eyes.

Sasuke could swear that the last time he had seen her, her eyes had been green. A _vivid _shade of green; he was positive that there was no mistake. It was hard for anyone to forget that unique shade of beautiful, mesmerizing green. But something had to be wrong, because her eyes were no longer that same color- they were a color of furious ruby red, a shade that was too fake to be natural.

An inhuman growl escaped her lips as she jumped higher than Sasuke had ever seen a human jump- but at this point, he was putting her humanity into question. Gaara furiously pointed his gun towards her as she gracefully landed on the opposite side of where she had previously been. Now that they were a lot closer, the gunshots were deafening- Kiba could feel his head split apart at the loud noise.

The rest of them could only watch in awe as a transparent red barrier surrounded her, effectively stopping the bullets from reaching her. The three bullets hovered in the air for a second, caught in the protective barrier that had automatically surrounded her petite body. They slowly flattened, before dropping to the floor with a quiet _clink_.

"Who the hell are you?" She snarled suspiciously, putting up a defensive stance.

"The person who's going to kill you."

She froze, and Sasuke saw the aggressive look on her face falter for a second at Gaara's cold response.

"I bet you're in on this too!" She accusingly shouted at Naruto, who vigorously shook his head. He had to admit though- her eyes were incredibly creepy. Despite his willingness to accept most things in the world, he had never been a big fan of the supernatural- demons, fairies, or even color changing humans, it was all absurd. But the proof that some things in the world actually _did _exist was standing right before him now, and he wasn't quite sure of how to accept it. "I'm getting out of here." She quickly said, and before anyone could stop her, she jumped off of the roof.

Naruto let out a frightened gasp as he ran over to the edge, just in time to see her gracefully land five floors beneath them. They could only watch as she ran away at an amazing speed.

When she whirled around to look at them one last time, her eyes were emerald green.

The six boys stood in silence for a full minute.

"Well I guess Kabuto wasn't kidding when he said a direct kill wasn't going to work." Kiba finally spoke up, his tone a mixture of awe and shock. He shot a curious glance at the rest of his partners; Naruto was still standing at the edge, his eyes fixated on the direction in which their target had disappeared. He wasn't surprised to see that Neji, Sasuke and Gaara mostly looked unaffected on the exterior. Shikamaru, on the other hand, looked extremely intrigued for once- an expression that Kiba had never seen on him before.

"We're going to have to work hard to accomplish this mission." Neji finally stated, straightening up from his position at the doorway. "As Kabuto told us before, a direct kill is going to be impossible with that barrier we saw a few seconds ago. We're going to have to earn back her trust and find out her weaknesses over time."

"Yeah well, good luck on that." Naruto retorted, frowning. "It was hard enough to get her to talk to me at all- imagine how it's going to be now that Gaara tried to _shoot_ her."

Gaara looked indifferent. "That had to happen in order for us to find out about her defense mechanisms." He simply said, turning away as he pocketed the gun out of sight.

"Yeah but there's always a better time and place." Naruto shot back, clearly irritated now. "It's all about circumstances, Gaara. We'll be lucky if she doesn't report you to the police- actually, I wouldn't be surprised if cops were crawling around this place by tomorrow morning."

"I'm sure Orochimaru will take care of any legal issues if we get involved with the police." Kiba butted in, sighing. "But that doesn't mean we can do it over and over again. He can't always clean up after our mess- there's a reason we're professionals after all."

Shikamaru busily jotted down a couple of things onto his spare notepad. "We're going to have to spend tonight re-organizing everything." He thoughtfully said. "We're going to have to find a way to earn back her trust and everything else. We should head back to class and return to headquarters as quickly as possible. Something tells me that Sakura won't be coming back to school for the rest of the day."

The bell rung from within the building, as if it was signaling the end of their discussion. Neji started to head back towards the stairs, but stopped to shoot a cold glance over his shoulders towards his temporary comrades.

"This doesn't mean I forgive you."

And deep down, they all knew it- they would never be forgiven.

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* * *

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He always had nightmares when he slept- it was just another common Uchiha Sasuke fact.

Naruto had woken him up countless times, years ago when they were still a team. He would scream and thrash around in his sleep, until the blonde successfully managed to wake him up. No matter how much time passed, he would forever be plagued by the events of the fateful night that had turned him into who he was now. Sleep was simply a form of torture for him- whenever he would try to close his eyes to find some peace, he would only find memories of a night he never wanted to remember again.

He would live it all over again as soon as his lids closed- the dead bodies, the bloodstained walls, those cold, _cold _eyes...

And then nothing.

Complete emptiness.

He would never be the same again. He could never go back to being the innocent little boy who loved his mother and idolized his brother. He would never go back to being the little kid who constantly sought approval from his father, wanting to prove that he could be equally as good, even if he was the second-born child of the family.

And that was because they were all dead, save for his brother who had murdered them all.

By the age of thirteen, Sasuke was nothing but an abandoned soul, left alone to survive in the cruel world that his family had always sheltered him from. He could no longer feel anything save for the anger and hatred inside of him, fueling his need for vengeance. The love and warmth he had once held for his parents was long gone now, overwhelmed by the fury. He found pleasure in hurting other people, especially if it ensured his survival in the outside world.

After all, he had to survive to carry out his revenge. What good would he be as a cold and unmoving corpse?

The first time he killed an actual man, he felt none of the guilt or remorse that he thought he would. Instead, he was simply consumed by the delightful feeling of being _powerful- _the power of taking someone else's life was truly frightening. It was as if he was _god- _with one simple movement, he had the power to give life or take it.

He had never felt so exhilarated before.

How would it feel when he would be holding his brother's life in his hands?

He didn't know yet, but when his sleep permitted it, they were his best dreams.

Sasuke woke up once again, sweating heavily as the images burned into his head vividly replayed themselves over and over again in his now conscious mind. His onyx eyes frantically looked around at his surroundings as he realized he was no longer in the Uchiha compound- he was now safely back in reality, laying down in the bed inside his temporary room in the headquarters.

Wiping away the beads of perspiration that had gathered on his forehead, he abruptly got out of the bed, tugging on a navy t-shirt and a pair of black trousers before quickly exiting the house. There was no way he would be getting any more sleep now, not after those nightmares. He would have to take a nighttime walk around the city in order to calm himself down- the streets enveloped in darkness would soothe his mind.

Tonight was different.

He had almost reached the now locked gates of his new school, when a familiar figure caught his eyes.

He took in her appearance.

The girl seemed unaware of his presence, something he highly disapproved of. It was a sign of weakness to leave your back unprotected, especially when you were alone. The cloudy midnight sky made it barely possible for him to distinguish her pale pink locks, tied into a messy bun at the top of her head, indicating that she had been in a hurry to leave her house, just as much as he had been. The heavy bags under her eyes were clearly distinguishable, contrasting heavily with her pale milky skin. She looked like she hadn't been able to sleep either- her eyes were blank and tired, looking almost longingly towards the school as she leaned her forehead onto the cold metal gates.

He could have struck her right then, but even he knew that it would be of no use. Her barrier would just activate once again, blocking out any damage that could potentially be done to her body. In a way, he didn't want to eliminate her yet. She was fascinating, making him want to know more.

It took her a couple of seconds to realize that he was standing close to her. The sound of a branch cracking under the pressure of his weight gave him away, as her head snapped towards him.

"You!" She exclaimed accusingly, quickly backing away. "You were there this morning, with that red haired guy!" Her tone of voice was harsh, and her eyes suspicious. She regarded him with a mixture of anger and fear mixed up together, something that he had expected out of her. "If you're here to kill me, I'm telling you it's not going to be easy. You're just going to end up getting hurt." She warned him, hoping that he would back away.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke."

His sudden abstract statement surprised her, catching her off-guard. It was an answer she had not been expecting from him, not after the things she had just said. His voice was deadpanned and his face gave away no emotions at all, as he calmly gazed at her.

She took this moment to finally take a good look at him- it was hard to do so with only the help of the moonlight. From what she could see, he was almost as pale as Sai; his raven hair was rebellious- she wasn't sure if it was because of the moonlight, but his hair reflected off a mysterious blue shade, matching his deep onyx eyes. And damn, he was _tall. _If he had been standing right in front of her, she would have had to strain her neck in order to look at him in the face.

"I'm not here to harm you." He simply stated, actually looking quite bored with the conversation. "You can stop sounding so pathetic now."

Her eyes widened at his statement. Judging by the way his t-shirt was wrinkled and his shoelaces were untied, she could tell that he had probably been in a hurry as well. Despite his calm composure, his forehead still shined with cold sweat, indicating that up until a few minutes ago, he had been highly disturbed at something as well.

"Who are you calling pathetic?" She snarled at him, as her fear slowly ebbed away.

"Why do your eyes turn red?" He bluntly asked her, ignoring her statement once again.

"Huh?" She blinked, taken aback by his question. When her head finally processed what he was asking, she wrinkled her nose. "Oh that. I don't really know either- not that it's any of your business." Her eyes narrowed once again, but they stayed green. "Are you guys trying to kill me because of what I am?" This time her voice was quiet, a mere murmur. Her eyes didn't look up to meet his own.

"Be more careful when you wander around at night. You never know what kind of people are wandering around in the shadows." He muttered, looking up towards the sky.

She rolled her eyes. "Right, that's rich coming from you." She retorted, and for a second she reminded him of Naruto. "How ironic- one of the guys who tried to kill me this morning is telling me to be careful at night. What are you planning?"

He sighed at her stubborness. "Must I remind you that I wasn't even there when Gaara pulled the trigger this morning?"

"You're lucky I didn't report you and your friends to the police." Her eyes narrowed. "You could get into _so_ much trouble for that. It's just all way too suspicious- the six of you transferring into the same classroom in one day? And then on your first day, one of you tries to kill me! I know you're all in this together, you're not fooling anyone."

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "We were forced to transfer here for personal reasons. And as for Gaara's actions, I will not apologize for him, but I will only say that he has his own reasons for whatever he did as well."

The pink haired girl briefly recalled what Naruto had said that morning- something about Gaara knowing the past her before she had lost her memory.

That still didn't mean she trusted him.

She made an indignant noise at the back of her throat and turned away from him, marching towards the opposite direction. She paused for a second.

"My name is Haruno Sakura."

He had heard her name numerous times, and he had read over her profile more than once- but it felt like it was the first time he was actually meeting her. His eyes briefly glanced at the back of her figure as she started to walk again.

"You look better when your eyes are green." He told her quietly.

Sakura couldn't stop the smile that ghosted her lips.

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* * *

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_Hate me in ways,_

_Yeah ways hard to swallow,_

_Hate me so you can finally see_

_What's good for you. _

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**A/N: Thanks for all your kind reviews; I really appreciate it:) **


	3. she moves in her own way

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**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED**

**stfuSPARKS**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters- and I don't own the song or lyrics 'She Moves In Her Own Way' by the Kooks either. :)_

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**III.**

**She Moves In Her Own Way**

_"__It's not about your make-up, _

_Or how you try to shape up,_

_To these tiresome paper dreams_."

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Sakura really wanted to say that she woke up the next morning to beautiful sunshine rays peeking through the curtains, and everything else.

In reality, she woke up to the harsh ringing sound of her alarm clock signaling that she had overslept. It was one of those days in which her eyes would not open no matter how hard she tried- and she spent half of her morning stumbling around the house with her eyes glued shut. She was positive that she broke more than three objects, but she couldn't be bothered to check.

The cold air that poured in when she opened the window to her room indicated that winter was right around the corner. It was the end of November now- she wished the end of December would hurry up and come, so she could enjoy the snow and her favorite holiday of the year.

She hurriedly put on her school uniform, making sure her skirt was at a decent length and that her tie was straight before she stumbled out of her small, humble apartment. Still feeling sleepy and dazed, she made her way into the busy street, trying not to be too disoriented.

"Sakura-chan!"

A loud voice interrupted her out of her daze. She whirled around in surprise, not used to being called in such a familiar way first thing in the morning. Not even Sai called her with a suffix- and he was the closest friend she had. She was met with the same blond haired boy who had tried to befriend her on the previous day; the boy frantically ran to catch up with her, waving at the same time. His face wore a big yet cautious grin as he finally approached her, heavily out of breath.

Remembering the events from the previous day, she was about to ignore him and walk away- when she spotted the familiar raven haired boy walking behind the blond.

"I wanted to apologize for yesterday." Naruto panted, catching up to her while giving her a hesitant smile. "Our friend Gaara has some kind of grudge against you for some reason, and he isn't very good at expressing his anger." He hoped this excuse would be good enough. They had spent all night trying to come up with a decent story, but there weren't many valid excuses when it came to a man pulling out a gun on you for no apparent reason.

"Are you kidding me?" Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Isn't good at expressing his anger? That doesn't even begin to describe it! Have you ever thought of sending him to the mental ward or something?"

"Don't worry, I told him that you lost your memory three years ago, so he understood." Naruto rushed, hoping he sounded convicing. "He won't be attacking you again any time soon."

"Should he even be carrying around a gun?" She asked, her suspicion still lingering.

"He has a license for that, don't worry." Naruto tried to explain. "His hobby is hunting." Sasuke wished he could've slapped his friend on the back of the head- it was obvious that the gun Gaara had used had absolutely _nothing_ to do with hunting, but Sakura seemed to buy it. He was glad that she had no real knowledge about guns, or their lie would have been immediately exposed.

"Well then he should be careful if he doesn't want to lose that license." She muttered under her breath, glaring at nothing in particular. "Seriously, I could report him to the police for that."

"And we're really grateful you didn't!" Naruto exclaimed. "Anyways Sakura-chan, my name is Uzumaki Naruto! I didn't get a chance to introduce myself yesterday. Thanks for the sandwich too, it was really good."

She stared at him for a second, trying to analyze if he was an idiot or not. "You're not going to ask me about what you saw yesterday?" She asked him, her eyes narrowing down into a frown. Any normal person would have been absolutely terrified at her unusual display of power. She had honestly expected him to bombard her with questions... unless he was perfectly aware of the fact that she wasn't a normal person.

"I thought you'd be uncomfortable talking about it." Naruto admitted, looking a bit sheepish as they walked towards the school. Sakura cast a brief look behind her to see if the raven haired boy was following them- he was right behind her. "I mean honestly, I thought it was totally awesome! It's like you have superpowers or something! But I want to become good friends with you too, so I didn't want to be too blunt about it."

She eyed the blond boy, who was looking at her with sparkling cerulean blue eyes. His words were definitely unconvincing, but there was something about the look in his eyes that told her she could trust him. She sighed, deciding to give him a chance- after all, it had been the red haired guy to attack her, not him. It wasn't his fault if his friend was psycho, and she was all too aware about having psychotic friends.

"Right, thanks, Naruto-san." She hesitantly said, his name feeling awkward on her lips. She wasn't used to calling other people by their names before. She didn't really bother making much friends at school- Sai was really all she needed.

He surprised her by slapping her on the back. "Don't call me Naruto-san, it sounds like we're total strangers!" He said with a grin. It took her a bit of willpower to stop herself from mentioning that they pretty much _were_ total strangers. "Just call me Naruto."

"Hey!" A voice called out as they reached the school gates. Sakura recognized him as one of the new transfer students that had joined her class alongside Naruto. He flashed them a grin, showing off his canine teeth that almost sparkled in the sunlight. "Next time you're going to run away from me Naruto, at least tell me where you're going!" He barked, his words playful.

"Sorry Kiba," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. "I met my friend Sakura-chan though! Sakura-chan, this is the loud and arrogant Inuzuka Kiba. Kiba, this is Sakura-chan, one of the girls from our class!"

An irritated look flashed through the brunette's eyes. "I remember." He said curtly, his grin quickly disappearing. "She's the girl who thought it would be funny to pick on the new guys on their first day."

Naruto didn't like the direction in which this encounter was going. Damn that Kiba- and he had _just_ managed to befriend her too! They were never going to get anywhere with Gaara trying to kill her 24/7 and Kiba being completely rude. Once again, the timid Sakura morphed into the mocking girl wth a superior complex. She sneered at him, looking highly displeased.

"Says the guy who thinks it's badass to tattoo two red triangles on his cheeks." She shot back, looking agitated. Naruto gulped- she had no way of knowing that the two tattoos on his face were actually markings that tied him to the clan he had abandoned long ago. They were the only things that linked him to the Inuzuka clan- and they had always been a sensitive subject for the twenty year old boy.

Naruto watched in horror as a sly smirk overcame Kiba's face.

"I don't blame Gaara for wanting to kill you." He told her casually, his smirk widening as her eyes widened.

"Kiba stop-" Naruto tried to interrupt his friend, but Kiba was on a roll now.

"You must have been a terrible girlfriend. After all, you did betray him for his best friend, Rock Lee."

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_"You must have been a terrible girlfriend." _

Sakura sat in the cafeteria for the first time in months, thoughtlessly nibbling on her sandwich as her eyes darted towards the redhead who had been distracting her the whole morning.

He was a bit taller than her, being the shortest out of his group. His flaming tousled hair was a shade of ruby red, and his dark green eyes were a similar shade to hers. He really didn't look that bad- he was quite handsome if you looked at him properly. He might have actually been dateable if he wasn't so mental.

A light blush overcame her cheeks as Kiba's words repeated in her head. She had never really thought of dating and boys that much- she had been more of a social outcast in these past three years, Sai being the only one to keep her company. Sai didn't like big crowds as much as she didn't, and she had never even once thought about him in that way.

She was jolted out of her thoughts when the redhead's eyes caught her gaze for a fleeting second. Embarrassed, she immediately turned away from him, her heart beating loudly against her ribcage at the anxiety of being caught.

"You're acting strange today." Sai said, snapping her out of her daze. He sat across from her, his food lying untouched on the table. He never ate lunch unless he had to- Sakura would usually head towards the rooftop to eat her lunch in peace, while he would head over to the art room to work on his sketches.

"Sorry." She gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm just a bit distracted today."

Sai had been by her side for as long as she could remember. He had been the only one to visit her in the hospital after her accident, claiming to be her friend from school. She had been grateful- no one else had visited her since her amnesia. She sometimes felt guilty for not being able to remember who he had been to her before- but he didn't pressure her and just silently stayed with her no matter what. She was fine with that.

He was a person with few words and honest opinions. He wasn't talkative, but his sole presence was enough to comfort her throughout her school days. By staying by her side, he was making himself victim to all the bullying that had been directed towards her- people would avoid them like the plague, for reasons she couldn't understand.

He was a unique individual- she had never seen him display any extreme emotions, such as sadness or anger. He often smiled though- but deep inside she privately thought that his smile never seemed to reach his eyes.

But in the end- Sai was the only one she could trust.

"What do you think of the new guys in our class?" She tried to make her voice sound casual, but she was sure he saw right through her facade- he always did. He could read her as easily as one could read a children's book. He glanced at the group of boys sitting a couple of tables away from them, before looking back at her.

"They're interesting." He curtly said, raising a delicate eyebrow at her question. "Could it be that you've reached that stage in which girls go looking for boyfriends and romances? What happened to Idate?"

"N-no way!" She quickly spluttered, pretty sure that she wasn't convincing anybody. She could feel the blood rush to her cheeks. "I was just asking." She said, avoiding his eyes. "Nothing more." She hated the way his smile seemed to tease her. "And speak for yourself! Aren't you at the age when boys are supposed to go girl-crazy?" As if to prove her point, she glanced over towards a group of boys who were giggling quite girlishly at a raunchy magazine in front of them.

Sai followed her gaze. "I don't need anyone else." He flatly said with a smile. She was sure that his words didn't have any deeper meaning to them, but someone who didn't know Sai well could have misunderstood.

And Karin chose that very moment to walk by their table.

"Is the wannabe Picasso finally confessing his love to the pink haired transvestite?"

Haruno Sakura fact #7: Sakura absolutely _loathed_ Karin. With a passion. The girl with the obnoxious fake hair had been a pain in Sakura's backside for as long as she could remember. It was as if Karin had made it her personal goal to make Sakura's high school years into a living hell, just for the fun of it. Over time, Sai became an equal victim to Karin's bullying, even if Sakura found it quite obvious that the red haired girl found her best friend physically attractive.

Sakura promptly ignored her, knowing that this would infuriate Karin.

However Sai could not stop himself. "Could you please get out of my line of vision? I don't appreciate looking at ugly girls for too long." He politely said, as Sakura tried to stifle her giggles. Another thing she loved about Sai was that the boy was brutally honest, no matter who the other person was.

"Karin, your brown roots are becoming longer than your hideous fake nails. You might want to go schedule an appointment with the hairdresser to recolor your dreadfully faux hair instead of bothering us," Sakura said, looking more interested in her half eaten sandwich. She couldn't help it- Karin was just asking for it.

Karin let out an angry snarl, slamming her hands onto the table. "You better take that back." She hissed furiously. Sakura hoped that the red haired girl would leave them alone in the next three minutes or she would not be able to be held accountable for her following actions. The cafeteria quieted down as a few people turned to listen in on the oncoming argument.

"Or what?" Sakura said dryly, rolling her eyes.

Her heart dropped as Karin coyly smiled, holding up a familiar object in her hands. It was Sai's sketchbook- the only thing Sakura had seen him treasure over the years. For everything Sai couldn't express in words, he did through his art. He was the most naturally talented artist Sakura had ever seen in her life- his drawings and sketches were so breathtaking that she expected them to come to life within seconds. Despite using most of the blank canvases in the art room for his hobby, there was one particular leather-bound sketchbook that he always carried around with him.

She had seen the way in which he gingerly held the book as if it was his biggest treasure. She had peeked at some of the drawings sometimes as well- it was full of sketches of a younger version of himself with another boy at his side. They were the only drawings in which he incorporated himself into. She never asked and he never explained- it was fine that way. Some things were meant to stay secret.

But here it was, held in Karin's dirty claws as if it was a piece of trash. Sakura had to restrain herself in order to not tear her to pieces right there and then.

"I'll give it back to you if you get on your knees and beg for forgiveness." Karin said smugly, looking straight at the pink haired girl. Sakura glanced at Sai, who looked highly unaffected by all the events that were unfolding right in front of him. His smile stayed put, and his eyes betrayed nothing. "If you don't, I'll burn it right in front of your eyes." Karin added, pulling out a lighter from her pocket.

Sakura couldn't stop herself this time. "Karin, I swear to god I'll tear you to pieces if do _anything_ to that sketchbook." She ferociously snapped, standing up. The cafeteria was quiet now, as everyone's attention was on the two girls. "Give it back right now and I'll let you leave unscathed."

Karin scoffed at her. "What are you going to do? Throw paintbrushes at me?"

"I would appreciate it if you could give me back my sketchbook." Sai finally spoke up, his smile unwavering. "I will not resort to violence against a girl, but I cannot vouch the same for my friend here."

Sakura knew it was his way of giving her permission to beat the crap out of the redhead girl.

"Too bad then." Karin said, and before anyone could stop her, she lit the book on fire.

It took less than a second for Sakura's green irises to melt into a shade of blood red. Sai was smart enough to move out of the way as she pushed the table away, sending it flying against the wall. It broke immediately within impact, sending random pieces of food and plastic flying all over the room. Karin didn't even have time to turn away before Sakura grabbed her by the neck, holding her body an inch above the ground.

"Apologize right now." Sakura hissed, revealing a set of dangerously sharp fangs protruding from her lips. "Did you think I was kidding when I said I'd tear you to pieces?" Karin's face began to turn red from the lack of oxygen as she thrashed around against the wall. Sakura's grip was almost like steel. It would take less than a second for her to snap that delicate little neck.

"Sakura."

At the back of her mind, she distinctly heard Sai call her name, but she ignored it. "You better get on your knees and lick Sai's shoes, you piece of trash." She snarled at the frightened girl in her hands. "Do it or I won't hesitate to snap your neck in two." She threw Karin onto the ground, as the latter helplessly coughed and spluttered for air on the floor.

"Sakura, let's just go." Sai said, grabbing her hand. "Everyone's watching you." Her eyes snapped up, turning green again as she saw that everyone in the cafeteria was indeed now staring at her in fear and awe. Sai gently grabbed her hand and led her down the hallway towards his sanctuary- the art room. He made sure she was seated comfortably on one of the stools before locking the door behind him.

"You can't be reckless." He slightly scolded her, observing the burnt ages of his notebook. "You'll get into trouble if you show that side of you in front of so many people." She refused to look at him as she intently glared at her feet.

"But she was burning your sketchbook." Sakura stubbornly said. He sighed, patting her on the head.

"My sketchbook is fine, don't worry about it." Sai told her, looking highly unaffected. "It was my mistake to bring it to school so carelessly. I should just keep it at home."

"I hate her." Sakura said, looking unhappy.

"I dislike her as well." Sai said calmly. "But you can't kill someone so easily. You have to learn to be patient. You'll be graduating in less than a year, and by then I won't be able to always stand by your side to stop you."

She knew that they were the same age, but sometimes she felt completely immature in comparison to Sai. He was the one to always reel her anger back in when she lost her head. They got along great when it came to verbally dissing someone- Sai's brutal honestly was hilarious at times.

She wondered what she would do when they would finally be forced to part.

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There was no sunshine and no wonderfully warm weather, but Sakura decided to skip class anyways and head towards the roof. After her run in with Karin, she wasn't looking forward to seeing the rest of her classmates' faces.

"Are you always that violent?"

Her eyes snapped open at the interruption. She looked up to see the same mysterious boy who had talked to her last night in front of the school gates- Uchiha Sasuke. She didn't bother to acknowledge him as she shut her eyes once again, hoping to find the sleep that had been robbed from her.

She heard him walk towards her, as he too sat down on the cold floor barely a meter away from her. She cracked an eye open once again to observe the boy who looked just as bored as she was.

She smirked at him. "Maybe. I guess you won't know until you piss me off, right?" He stayed quiet. "Is it really a good idea for a transfer sutdent to skip class on his second day of school?" She asked him, slightly raising an eyebrow.

"Are you sure that a student with as many absences as you should be skipping class?" He asked her calmly, promptly shutting her up. "I thought the roof would be a decent choice. Most of the girls seem scared of coming up here."

She didn't bother to tell him that his fangirls were probably scared to come up here because _she_ was there.

They both basked in the silence for a couple of minutes, not speaking to each other.

"If you have something you want to ask, just do it." Sasuke said impatiently, running a hand through his spiky hair. "It's annoying when you're just staring at me."

She felt her cheeks turn red once again. Had she been staring? She hadn't noticed at all. But he was right- there was something that had been bugging her all morning now, and here she had a perfect chance to find the answers to her questions.

"Is it true I used to date that guy named Gaara?" She blurted out, wincing at her bluntness. If he was surprised at her question, he didn't show it.

Sasuke had been anticipating this question for awhile now- after new information about Gaara and their target had emerged on the previous day, Shikamaru had spent all night trying to dig up information about their past. It was truly surprising how things could change within a few years- they had all been pretty shocked.

The Uchiha would never know how Gaara and the pink haired girl had managed to date. No matter how many times he thought it over, their personalities completely clashed. While Gaara was absolutely quiet and estranged from the rest of the world, Sakura was brash and spoke out her mind. They were both easily angered though- he was surprised that they hadn't killed each other off yet.

And Rock Lee? How did he fit into the equation? According to the information Shikamaru had dug up, the pinkette had dumped Gaara for their deceased member- something that was even more disturbing. Rock Lee was a great person at heart and everything- but he wasn't exactly voted the most popular man of the group, at least physically. Sasuke would never understand her.

"I don't think I'm the right person to ask." The Uchiha said stiffly. He stared into her emerald green orbs, wondering what they ever saw in both Gaara and Lee.

"Well Gaara isn't really all that willing to talk to me, is he?" Sakura said dryly, rolling her eyes. "Naruto is great and everything, but I have a feeling he'd lie to me or something, just to cover up for his friend. You're the only person I can ask right now." Her eyes softened. "All I want is to find out about my past. I don't know anything and Sai refuses to tell me."

"That doesn't make him a great friend." Sasuke said, frowning. Not that little pink haired girl's problems were any of his business. "Just forget about it. Is anything going to change if you find out about your past?"

It was ironic, hearing these words come out of his mouth. He was the one who lived his life based on the past- and maybe a part of him knew that the chance of her turning into someone like him if she found out about her life was high. Countless were the times in which he had wished to erase his memory, just so he could forget his painful past.

She looked thoughtful for a second, before sighing.

"Sakura?"

A new voice interrupted their silence as the door to the rooftop swung open. Both of them whirled around to look at Sai, who was not smiling for once.

"What are you doing with him?" He asked her, his face devoid of any emotion. Somehow, it was almost more disturbing than his smile. Maybe it was because it suited him so well. "I've been looking for you for awhile. Class was boring without you."

"I just needed a break from everybody else." She sighed, leaning back.

"Well school's over now, it's time to head home." He told her throwing her bag towards her direction. She caught it with ease, despite the heavy weight. "You should go home and get some rest. Tonight at eight, Sound."

Sasuke's raised an eyebrow in interest at the cryptic message. Sound was the name of the corporation that Orochimaru owned- this couldn't be a coincidence. He watched as the pink haired girl's expression hardened, the childish aura around her disappearing as she nodded in response.

"I'll be heading home first, Sasuke-san. It was nice chatting with you." She gave him a small smile, before getting up and heading towards her close friend.

Before he knew what he was doing, he found himself grabbing her small wrist in his hand as he quickly got up as well.

"Tonight." He said, ignoring the look of surprise on her face. "I want to watch a movie." She looked even more confused now. He sighed in frustration. "Come watch a movie with me. At six."

"Huh?" She said dumbly.

She was just_ so_ similar to Naruto at times.

"Don't expect me to come pick you up at home. I'll be waiting in front of the school gates at six, so make sure you're not late. And tell your friend not to look so constipated, I'll make sure you're back at the gates by eight. He can pick you up there."

She could only stare at him as he gave her a little smirk, making his way towards the stairs.

"And one more thing- don't call me Sasuke-san. It sounds too weird."

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"You're going on a DATE?"

Naruto's voice was loud enough on its own. When he resorted to screaming out loud in a confined space, it was absolutely deafening. Kiba winced, trying to smother his ears with two pillows. Sasuke quietly thanked god that there was only one Naruto in the world.

"And with none other than SAKURA-CHAN? B-but... why?" Naruto spluttered, looking completely lost.

"I told you dobe." Sasuke growled, starting to feel extremely irritated. "It's because she's doing something at eight with that friend of hers and I'm going to follow her right after I drop her off, so we don't lose sight of her." The blond still looked extremely unhappy. "What else do you want Naruto?" Sasuke asked, feeling extremely annoyed now.

"Can I follow?"

"No."

"Aw come on, please?"

"No."

"I'll do anything."

"No."

"Please?"

"No!"

"I'll do whatever you ask me to for an entire month!"

"Don't make that sound weird! I said no Naruto!"

"Oh come on, you know I'll follow you anyways."

"…"

"… please?"

That was it for the Uchiha's patience. He grabbed the object was nearest to him, which happened to be a book- and threw it at Naruto as hard as he could. Before it could hit its desired target, a hand reached out and caught it mid-air with no difficulty.

"No violence against fellow team members." Neji said calmly, setting the book back at its proper place. "And what's this I hear about a date Uchiha?" He smirked, clearly enjoying every second of Sasuke's irritation. "That would disprove my previous theory that you're homosexual."

"He scored a date with Sakura-chan tonight!" Naruto whined. "Why does he always get to have the good part in our missions?"

"I hate to defend Sasuke, but he's right." Neji said calmly, as Naruto's face fell. "You'd get too emotionally attached on a mission like this Naruto, it's best if you just keep your distance. We've never had a mission in which we've had to approach our target before. It would be best for people like you and Kiba to stay away."

_We don't want you to end up like Lee. _

Neji didn't say it but the unspoken words lingered heavily in the air.

"And who's to say that Sasuke-teme won't end up getting too attached to her?" Naruto argued weakly.

"Naruto, you know Sasuke better than all of us here- he's not the type of person to get attached to someone, especially a girl." Shikamaru told him, looking up from his laptop. He saw Naruto's crestfallen face and sighed. "But if it'll make you feel better, we can follow Sasuke while he goes on his 'date' to make sure that nothing bad happens."

Sasuke grit his teeth.

"Tch, how annoying."

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* * *

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Sasuke was definitely not in a good mood.

To start things off, Sakura was late. He didn't want to sound like a conceited prick, but honestly; there were hundreds of girls who would die to go on a date with him, and she'd probably seen his fanatic horde of fangirls at school as well. And yet still she dared to be late to a date that _he _had invited her out on. It was already ten past six- if she didn't show up soon, the movie would start without them.

Secondly, the fact that Naruto and co. were somewhere hidden from view, spying on him irritated him very, very much. Not that he was nervous or anything- but he knew that Naruto would enjoy picking on everything about his 'date' when they would return home that night. He scoffed- it wasn't like Naruto had much experience with girls either.

He watched in slight amusement as the saw the tiny little girl run towards him from across the street, not even bothering to check sideways for incoming cars. She stopped in front of him, supporting herself against the wall as she tried to regain her breath.

"It's rude of you to order people around." She said disapprovingly, tucking a loose strand of pink hair behind her ear. "You could have at least asked, y'know? Sai almost threw a fit after you left. He'll kill me when he finds out I actually came to meet you."

He raised an eyebrow. "And why did you come?"

"W-what?" She spluttered in surprise at his question. He was just too direct for her to keep up with. "W-well because it's rude to keep people waiting! If I didn't show up, you probably would have waited for me for a while! And plus, it's cold outside!" He had to admit that it was interesting to watch her blabber when she was taken off-guard.

"You're interesting." He told her bluntly, a small smirk ghosting his lips. "You put up a front when you're with other people, acting all tough and strong, but deep down inside you're just a normal teenage girl."

A slight blush covered her cheeks, as she refused to meet his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about." She mumbled, but she couldn't help but be secretly pleased at being called 'normal'. While many girls would have considered it an insult, to her it was one of the biggest compliments she could ever receive. It had been awhile since someone had last considered her 'normal'. "You've seen me. I can hardly be described as a normal girl." She said sullenly.

"You can stop bullets and your eyes become really weird sometimes." Sasuke stated. " So what? The only person I can see standing in front of me right now is an average teenage girl who blushes when she's given compliments and gets angry when teased."

"You're not freaked out by my powers?" She asked, her green eyes widening in surprise. "Most people at school think I'm a complete freak."

"'Freaked out' would be the wrong term to use." The Uchiha said slowly. "It's more like I'm intrigued. These kinds of things certainly don't happen every day- so why should I distance myself away?"

She didn't have an answer for him. Her emerald eyes silently sparkled at his words, a small smile playing around on her lips.

"We'll be late for the movie if we don't leave now." He said nonchalantly, taking her arm and dragging her down the street. She didn't miss the way in which many, _many_ women shot her dirty looks- it was almost frightening. She stumbled over her own feet, struggling to keep up with his fast steps. It was hard to keep up with him when his legs were so _long- _she had never noticed how big the height difference between them really was.

Her heart felt warm as they made their way downtown, _together_.

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* * *

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"You must be completely insane if you think I'm going to watch that movie with you."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Don't be so childish." He said in an irritated voice. "Don't tell me you're scared of horror movies."

A couple of people stopped to observe them as she pulled away from his tight grip in front of the ticket stand. She ferociously glared at him, a determined look on her face. "Why do boys always enjoy watching violent and gory movies? Have you ever considered watching something like this?" She pointed at a movie poster with a couple staring into the romantic sunset.

He winced in disgust.

"No."

"Well I'm not watching some disgusting gory horror movie."

"And I'm not watching some sappy love story."

They both glared at each other- the tension between them could almost be cut with a knife.

Her shoulders finally slumped in defeat. "Fine, I'll let you win this time. But it's only because I have to meet Sai after this." Her glare deepened as his face relaxed into a satisfied winning smirk. She let go of his sleeve to let him buy tickets to the horror movie- something about zombies, no doubt.

"If it isn't Haruno Sakura."

Sasuke didn't miss the way in which Sakura visibly tensed up next time him as she recognized the voice. They were met by a tall blond boy, his hair a few shades lighter than Naruto's. His eyes were also blue, but while Naruto's eyes were more of an electric blue, this man's eyes were as cold as ice. He was perhaps a year or two older than Sasuke himself.

Once again, the innocent aura around Sakura immediately disappeared, replaced by an icily cold atmosphere. Her tone of voice was menacing when she spoke.

"Deidara."

"I'm honored to see that you haven't completely forgotten of my existance." The man named Deidara mockingly said, his grin widening. Sasuke wasn't one to judge on first impressions, but he definitely didn't like this man. At all. "Miss me much?" Deidara added teasingly, getting closer to her step by step.

"I missed you as much as I'd miss a foot up my ass." Sakura retorted crudely, giving him a sweet smile. Two could play at the game.

"Well aren't you sweet as always, love." Deidara smirked, patting her head.

"I thought I told you to never touch me again." She replied, her voice still sickeningly sweet. "It's quite disgusting."

A fake look of hurt overcame Deidara's face. "That's harsh," He said, lowering his voice. He eyed Sasuke with a sinister gaze. "Who's this, your new lover? What happened to loverboy Idate? Did you get bored of him and toss him away? Or maybe you're just cheating on him, hm?" He forced her to look up at him by grabbing her chin.

Blue clashed against green.

"Idate is still my _boyfriend_, for your information." She said, jerking her face away from him. "I'm just enjoying a day out with a classmate from school- not that it's any of your business." She cast a glance behind him. "I see you still haven't dumped your partners either."

Sasuke took advantage of the moment to observe the other two men standing stiffly next to the blond. At his left, a shorter yet still threatening red haired man was glaring at the Uchiha, his brown eyes deep and hollow. On the other side, stood a huge man- he had to be taller than two meters, Sasuke observed. He had pale blue skin and sinister, beady black eyes.

"The grown man who still plays with barbies and Fish-chan. How cute." Sakura acknowledged mockingly, earning a growl from the red haired boy.

"They are _not _barbies." He grit out. "They are _killing puppets_."

"Whatever helps you sleep better at night." Sakura carelessly said with a shrug, waving his statement away. "And Fish-chan! I believe you've gotten taller, haven't you? Have you been spending more time in your natural habitat? I believe it's good for your health as well!"

"Shut up Pinky." The blue-skinned man nicknamed 'Fish-chan' growled, his beady eyes narrowing into a glare full of murderous intent.

Sasuke grew tired of waiting in the sidelines. "Friends of yours, I assume?" The Uchiha asked, smirking at the dirty look Deidara was giving him. Sakura let out an exasperated sigh, stepping back to stand alongside Sasuke once again.

"Sasuke, meet my ex-best friends, Deidara, Sasori and Kisame."

.

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* * *

.

.

_But you don't pull my strings _

_'Cause I'm a better man,_

_Moving onto better things._

_Well uh oh, oh I love her because _

_She moves in her own way._

.

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* * *

**A/N: Merry Christmas and lots of cookies to you all! I hope you liked my Christmas oneshot, 2119. Thanks for those who reviewed that too! **


	4. more than useless

**.**

**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED**

**stfuSPARKS**

_Happy New Years guys! I wish you all a great 2007 ;)_

_Disclaimer: I don't Naruto or any of it's characters. I don't own More Than Useless by Relient K either. :)_

* * *

.

.

.

**IV.**

**More Than Useless**

"_But then you assure me,_

_I'm a little more than useless, _

_And when I think that I can't do this,_

_You promise me that I'll get through this, _

_And do something right, _

_Do something right for once."_

_._

_._

_._

There weren't many instances in which Uchiha Sasuke was rendered speechless-

But this was definitely one.

It was hard to imagine that these three hostile men before them had once been Sakura's best friends. Everything about their conversation up until now only indicated pure hatred- if they really had been friends before, there were no traces left of that broken friendship. She could have said 'sworn enemies' and it would have been much more believable, really. She would never stop surprising him.

Deidara feigned a hurt look. "Saku-chan, I thought we were still best buds!" He exclaimed mockingly, earning another one of her death glares. The blond boy didn't flinch back- instead, he smirked at the furious expression on her face. "We made the best group of friends too, what a shame."

"That was in the past, _Dei-chan._" Sakura said, mocking him back. "Our group is over now. You have nothing to do with me anymore, so I would appreciate it if we stopped acknowledging each other from now on."

Deidara took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them once again. He forcefully grabbed her chin, his lips hovering dangerously close to her own. "Don't say that, Sakura-chan." He whispered. She could feel him breathe. "Don't lie and say you haven't missed me. Was Idate worth abandoning us? Is this who you really are?"

Sasuke expected her to panic, or perhaps even scream- but to his surprise, her face split into a wide grin. She blinked once; when she opened her eyes again, they were red. "You disgust me." She whispered, and before anyone could notice, she pulled her fist back at an amazing speed and punched him right in the face. He flew across the room and crashed against the wall.

Several people around them stopped to stare as Deidara flinched, getting back on his feet. He dusted off his cloak and whirled around to face her.

"You haven't changed at all, Sakura-chan." He said with a wince. Despite his evident pain, he grinned at her once again. "I'll see you soon... and trust me, it'll definitely be soon." It almost sounded like a threat. He headed back towards the elevator, followed by his two partners. "I'll see you soon too... Uchiha Sasuke." Those were his last words before the elevator doors slid shut.

When Sasuke turned back to look at her, her eyes were green again. "I guess it never gets boring with you around, does it?" He dryly commented. "I've only met you yesterday and I feel like I've known you forever." She chuckled at his words. "It's not a good thing either." He added.

"Sorry you had to witness that." She sheepishly apologized.

He ignored her apology. "We should get going. We probably already missed the first five minutes of the movie." He grabbed her arm and dragged her away.

"What a cute couple." A couple of old ladies watching them whispered to each other. "They match so well!"

Neither of them had the heart to turn around and deny it.

.

.

* * *

.

.

"It was only a movie Sakura, nothing that horrible." Sasuke had to roll his eyes as the usually strong-willed girl clutched his sleeve as he led her out of the dark movie theatre. She whimpered something incomprehensible, her eyes wide open in fear. He looked away, embarrassed at the attention they were receiving from various people. "You can get off me now." He muttered, causing her to jump away from him.

She blushed looking equally as embarrassed. "Sorry," She mumbled. "I didn't notice I was hanging on to you like that."

"I should take you back before your friend freaks out." Sasuke said awkwardly. "He'll think I kidnapped you or something."

Sakura gave him a sheepish grin. "Don't mind him too much, Sai's usually like that. He doesn't really know how to approach people and interact with them... it's like his social growth was stunted. But he eventually warms up if you try hard enough!" She tried to say encouragingly.

"I'm not planning to try hard to become his friend." Sasuke stated flatly. "I have nothing to gain from that."

"I know he's not exactly appealing as friend material," Sakura said with a sigh. "Its just that sometimes I wish he had more friends. We won't have each other forever- when we graduate at the end of this year, we'll have to separate and he's going to have to learn to make new friends by then." She looked away wistfully. "Sai's a good guy, deep inside. Even if he doesn't show it with words, he always tries to protect me."

Sasuke read right through her. "Are you asking me to not judge him too harshly?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm just saying he's a good guy deep inside, that's all." She shot back, looking slightly irritated. "He's the only one who stayed by my side after the accident. That has to count for something, right?"

"I never said he's a bad guy." Sasuke pointed out to her.

"I could see it in your face." She dryly replied. They were now nearing the school gates, and he could distinctly make out Sai's figure leaning against the wall. As they grew closer, Sai noticed their presence and his face split into a wide smile.

"I hope you had fun today, Sakura." Sai told her. "But it's time for us to go now. He didn't try to do anything weird, did he?" He glanced up at the Uchiha.

"I just took her to watch a movie, nothing more." Sasuke grunted, frowning at him. "Don't try to make me into some weird pervert. I just wanted to watch a movie and none of my friends were available. She was the only choice I had. If I went alone, it would have been annoying." She could somehow understand what he was saying. She had seen the way in which all the girls turned around to look at him- if he had gone alone, he would have certainly been pestered to death by his loyal fangirls.

"Don't worry Sai, it was fine." Sakura reassuringly told her friend. She turned around to face Sasuke. "Thanks for today, I had fun. I'll see you at school tomorrow, okay?" With one last wave, she disappeared behind the corner of the street with Sai by her side.

"Can we come out now?"

Without waiting for an answer, the loud blond hopped out of a nearby bush to join his friend. "I want details!" He exclaimed in delight, as Shikamaru and Kiba revealed themselves out into the open as well. "Did you guys hold hands? Or maybe even kiss? Tell me everything!" Sasuke was positive that Naruto's eyes were sparkling by now.

"I know you were there the whole time dobe, nothing happened." Sasuke snapped at him, annoyed. "If anything _did _happen, you would have seen it from your seat in the sixth row, third seat to the left."

Naruto's jaw dropped open, before he regained his composure. "But it was dark!" He whined. "And the movie was pretty scary so I had to close my eyes several times! Maybe you took advantage of Sakura-chan's fear too and kissed her when she was the most vulnerable!"

"I don't have time for your dumb reasoning." Sasuke said, pushing the blond out of the way. "I went on this date so we would be able to follow them to wherever they're going. We don't have time to waste." He stopped for a moment to look at Shikamaru. "And I found out something new too. We ran into some of her old friends- apparently enemies now. You might want to look into that some more- they weren't very normal either."

"What did they look like?" Shikamaru asked, looking quite interested.

"They were wearing some sort of uniform- black cloak with red clouds." Sasuke said, trying to remember. "One had long blond hair, one had short red hair and the other was a blue-skinned man."

"There's no doubt about it, they're members of the Akatsuki." Shikamaru said with a nod. Sasuke immediately tensed. "Much like us, they're an organization that deals with assassinations; but they deal with other things as well, most of them illegal." He curiously eyed Sasuke, who's face was turning darker and darker by the second. "By the looks of it, Sasuke, you already know of the Akatsuki."

"It's none of your business." Sasuke said stiffly. Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders. "We should get going if we don't want to lose our target. I placed a tracking device on her, but it's not going to work if she's too far." Sasuke said, turning away from them.

The boys immediately gathered their things and started to run in the direction Sakura had disappeared in.

.

.

* * *

.

.

"I'm glad to see you made it in one piece." A cold voice sneered unpleasantly. "For a second there you had me thinking that you wouldn't show up."

From the other side of the dark, empty warehouse, the pink haired girl scoffed. "Yeah right," She said, a frown gracing her pretty features. "As if we'd run away from the likes of you, Kin." Sai stood tall by her side, giving his opponents his trademark polite smile.

"Sakura doesn't like backing down from requests." He said flatly, setting his bag down. "And I don't blame her either. What a ridiculous idea, to blatantly threaten us. We don't take kindly to insults."

"My, my Haruno, you've fallen so low!" The girl on the other side called Kin said with a sinister laugh. "You caught me at a weak time last year, but I promise you it won't be the same this time." Her eyes narrowed into slits. "Not so cocky now that you don't have your cloaked friends by your side, hm?"

Sakura almost snorted. "As if I need any of them to kick the crap out of you." She said, rolling her eyes. "If I were you, I'd just accept defeat and walk away right now."

Sakura thought back to a year ago, when she had met Kin for the first time. Kin was part of an organization similar to the Akatsuki, called the Sound Corporation (she always thought it was a gay name. Honestly Akatsuki sounded _much _cooler). And for some absurd reason, she had been ordered to assassinate one of her old friends- Deidara. All she had really done was protect her friend- something completely natural at the time when she and Deidara had still been close. Granted, she had beat Kin into a pulp as a result of the exchange.

A few days ago, she had received a message from Kin herself, after one entire year. The other girl had threatened to harm Sai if she did not show up at the requested location at the requested time- probably for a rematch or something equally as childish.

"You don't know what I went through because of you!" Kin hissed angrily. "I was demoted! I was ridiculed for _months_ because I failed the stupid mission! Orochimaru-sama never looked at me in the same way again, even after all the hard work I went through to earn my status in Sound!"

"That's your own problem." Sakura told her coldly. "You attacked someone I was close to, and I returned the favor twice as much. I didn't think you would be dumb enough to repeat the same mistakes- but here you are, threatening another one of my friends again one year later. You weren't strong enough to beat me back then and you aren't strong enough now- I'm warning you, just turn back."

"As if I'm scared of a little pink haired girl and an artist." Kin sneered. "I'll take revenge this time. You'll wish you never messed with me!"

Sakura turned to Sai in frustraton. "Why is it that people always underestimate us for the color of my hair and your hobby?" She asked him unhappily.

Sai lightly patted her on the head. "It's okay, we'll just prove them wrong, like always." He briefly eyed their opponents. "I see you brought some friends along as well." He calmly stated, observing the other two males by her side.

"I'm Zaku." One of the boys stepped forward, licking his lips in anticipation. "I like killing artists and tasting pink haired girls." He grinned sadistically.

Sai felt Sakura's anger spike by his side. He grabbed her arm as if to warn her to calm down. As a result, she immediately relaxed at his touch. Another boy stepped forwards, one eye peeking at them from the bundle of bandages covering him from head to toe. "I'm Dosu," He introduced himself. "Pleasure to meet you." His raspy voice was entirely sarcastic.

"Is that really the best you coud do?" Sakura asked with a yawn. "A little boy who hasn't hit puberty yet and a mummy who doesn't seem to know that Halloween only happens once a year? How boring." She glanced at her nails, as if to emphasize her disappointment.

"You won't be acting so cocky when we're done with you." Kin cackled, looking absolutely delighted. "You'll wish you spent your time training instead of taking care of your appearance!"

Sakura's face split into an evil grin, as her green irises slowly melted into red.

"Bring it on."

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Where are they?" Naruto complained, running through the empty docks. "This place is freakin' huge! How are we ever going to find her?" He cast a look towards the raven haired boy next to him. "Can't your stupid tracking device track her any further than this?"

"It only gives me a general location." Sasuke panted, sprinting alongside Naruto. "Just save your breath and keep on running. She's definitely somewhere in this area."

They quickly came to a stop as Kiba raised his hand, motioning for them to follow him. They stood still for a moment, waiting for him to give them another signal. It was times like these when Kiba's heightened senses came in handy to the group. "I think I can hear something going on over there." Kiba whispered, and started to run towards an abandoned warehouse at the very north of the docks.

"They're fighting." Kiba said while running, his eyes widening in realization. "I can hear things crashing and the faint sounds of people punching and kicking at each other."

"We should remain impartial for now." Shikamaru told them, leading them towards a window. "We have to observe the situation to decide whether it's really worth exposing ourselves right now. Our target is already far too suspicious of us because of the incident with Gaara yesterday- if she finds out we've been following her as well, we're never going to be able to earn her trust."

Naruto gave him a pained looked, but obliged. They perched themselves at a window, making sure to be well hidden from sight.

"I don't see you looking so victorious now, Pinky." A female voice sneered. The speaker was an unfamiliar black haired girl, looking extremely satisfied with herself. Sai was kneeling in a corner, each of his arms restrained by two other unfamiliar boys. They were both bruised and battered, but not as much as the artist on the floor. "Where is your barrier now?" The black haired girl sneered again.

Kin forced Sakura's bruised body on the floor by grabbing onto her lovely pink locks. "Where's your precious little barrier now?" She asked, giving Sakura's body another kick. "I finally got it- as long as I don't use weapons, your stupid little barrier won't activate. I'll just beat you to death!" She laughed, throwing her head back. "I trained for an entire year for this day. You think you're so strong, don't you? I bet that you spent all your time growing out your precious hair instead of properly training."

"Shut up," Sakura grit out, trying to lash out at the girl who had the upper hand of the situation. Kin aimed another kick at her stomach; this time, Sakura spat out blood.

"Hey now, why don't you let go of her now? Haven't you had enough of your playtime?"

Sasuke snapped his head sideways- sure enough, Naruto was gone. He rolled his eyes as the loud and obnoxious blond casually strolled into the warehouse, interrupting the fight.

"Che... Naruto's playing hero again." Sasuke muttered under his breath. He was getting ready to join his partner when Sakura's loud cry stopped him.

"_Naruto, get the hell out of here."_

It wasn't the warm voice Sasuke had grown accustomed to- but it wasn't the cold voice she used when she put up her tough front either. It was a tone he had never heard from her- her voice was bitingly icy, full of nothing but pure hatred. Naruto also stopped in his tracks, surprised at the new side of Sakura he had never seen before.

"I don't need your help." She furiously lashed out, her bright red eyes glaring straight at him. "And I don't need your help either, Sasuke. Take your friends and get out of here- this isn't your problem!"

The Uchiha stiffened as he heard her call out his name. So she had noticed their presence after all.

"Where did all your friendliness from before go?" Sasuke asked monotonously, hopping through the window to join Naruto's side. There was no use in hiding if he had already been discovered. "It's like I told you before, Sakura; you should really stop morphing into so many personalities at once."

"Sasuke." She growled under her breath, her bruised face turning to glare at him. "You only asked me to hang out with you so you could follow me afterwards. I should have realized it sooner." She didn't know why, but it hurt. It hurt to think that she had only been used for another purpose. She had actually been _happy _when he had treated her so normally.

For a moment-

For a moment, she had actually thought that he simply wanted to spend some time with her.

How naive of her.

"Isn't it a good thing I did though?" He raised an eyebrow at her current position at the floor. "You're looking a little helpless down there."

Sakura's red eyes flashed.

She wasn't helpless.

She wasn't weak.

_She'd show him._

Within less than a second, Sakura pulled out a small switchblade from her pocket and flicked the sharp blade out. "We'll see who's really helpless when I'm done with her." Her smirk was absolutely terrifying- it was almost inhuman.

"Stupid girl." Kin tightened her grip on Sakura's pink hair, making her wince. "It's no use, your arms can't reach me from you current position."

Sakura strained her neck to look back at Karin with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes- a look so sinister that even Kin couldn't stop herself from shuddering.

"Who said anything about _you_?"

.

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* * *

,

,

"I thought you guys were going to watch a movie." Hidan called out to the trio who unhappily trudged back into their headquarters.

"We _were _going to." Deidara furiously retorted, opening the freezer to look for an ice pack. "But we met that stupid pink haired brat on the way. I didn't feel like being in the same buliding with her so we just decided to come back."

"That explains that nasty bruise you have on your face." Kakuzu dryly commented, lazily flipping through the tv channels. He scowled when he saw that nothing interesting was on. "I'm glad she taught you a lesson though. You're too cocky sometimes, Deidara."

"Shut up, yeah." Deidara grumbled, shooting the dark-skinned man a nasty look. Kisame took a seat on the couch next to Hidan, while Sasori immediately marched over to his room, slamming the door closed behind him.

Hidan glanced up from his book once more to look at the closed door. "Someone's in a bad mood," He commented, raising an eyebrow. "What's got his panties in a twist?"

"Sakura called his puppets barbies again." Kisame grunted, rolling his eyes. "It's a blow to his pride- we all know how much time he actually spends on making those things." He shuddered, thinking of the numerous wooden puppets that filled the redhead's room. "And he's probably still bitter that she's not with us anymore."

"What's so good about that stupid Morino Idate?" Deidara snorted, throwing his cloak onto the coffee table in front of the tv. "Seriously, what kind kind of guy tells his girlfriend to stop hanging out with her friends? That's one of the first signs of a potential abusive partner." He spat, looking extremely irritated.

Kisame sighed. "You know that's not what he said, Deidara." He told his blond friend. "He just didn't want his girlfriend to be in the Akatsuki- which is understandable. If you had a girlfriend, you wouldn't want her running around with a bunch of criminals either, would you?" He pointed out, as Deidara sulked at his words. "Maybe it's true that he didn't approach it in the best manner- she could have left the organization without cutting ties with us, but honestly, I don't blame him."

"Are you jealous, Dei-chan?" Hidan snickered delightedly. "You should have seen your face when she told you she was dating that Idate guy, it was abso-fucking-lutely priceless!"

"You should have taken a picture." Zetsu joined in on the conversation, as he entered through the front door with Tobi trailing in behind him. "You could have made some good money by selling copies around."

Short little Tobi let out a laugh.

"What the hell are you laughing at, Tobi?" Deidara snapped, whirling around to face the younger boy.

"N-nothing! Nothing at all, Deidara-sempai!" Tobi quickly defended himself. His face was impossible to see, for it was hidden behind an orange wooden mask, but his voice betrayed his obvious fear of the older man. He dodged as Deidara threw an apple at his head.

"I still don't understand why you're in such a shitty mood." Hidan said, turning a page in his book. "You went to the movies and met Sakura-chan. So fucking what?"

"I think it's because he was with another guy." Kisame whispered.

"Wasn't Sakura-chan dating Idate-san?" Tobi asked loudly, overhearing the blue-skinned man's words. Kisame winced as Deidara shot him a deadly look.

"Don't know and don't care." Deidara snapped, looking more irritated by the second.

"Who was she with?" Hidan asked enthusiastically.

Deidara cast him a look. "Ironically, she was with Uchiha Sasuke." He said, and everyone in the room suddenly looked a tad bit more interested. "Our resident Uchiha's one and only little brother, last surviving member of the Uchiha massacre, and all that other fancy jazz."

"I see my foolish brother is doing well."

The friendly atmosphere in the room was immediately sucked out by the cold voice that interrupted their conversation.

.

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* * *

,

,

_And I'm just scared, _

_So scared_

_That I'll fail you. _

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are love. :) **


	5. some say

**.**

**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED**

**stfuSPARKS**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I do not own the song 'Some Say' by the Rascal Flatts either. :)_

* * *

.

.

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**V.**

**Some Say**

"_And some say,_

_We're a couple crazy kids,_

_Some say, _

_That's exactly what they did, _

_I say, _

_You got to go with your heart, _

_And baby look where we are. " _

_._

_._

_._

"Welcome back Itachi!" Deidara hastily exclaimed, but the bitter expression on the handsome elder Uchiha's face did not fade.

Dark, handsome and mysterious, the oldest Uchiha glared at the blond with his intimidating red eyes. His tall and slim figure loomed over him- Deidara briefly speculated on how similar he was to Sasuke at first sight. However, if you looked closely enough, there were distinct signs of age that distinguished Itachi from his younger brother.

His biggest feature that set him aside from Sasuke were his eyes. Those mesmerizing, unusual red eyes that held a lingering dangerous look. Deidara would never get used to them- he couldn't help but shudder everytime Itachi looked at him.

"Did I hear something about Sasuke?" Itachi ignored Deidara's welcome and looked around, staring at their guilty faces. Deidara not-so-subtly kicked Kisame in the shins.

"We saw him today." Kisame said with a wince, glaring at Deidara before looking straight into Itachi's eyes. He was not the least fazed by the Uchiha's cold tone- Kisame was not a man who was easily intimidated. "Interestingly enough, he was with Pinky."

"Oh?" The corners of Itachi's lips twitched upwards into an intrigued smirk. "And how is Sakura? Judging by Deidara's face, I can tell she's still as lively as ever. It's been awhile since she's visited us, has it not?"

Deidara's fingers automatically reached up to gingerly touch his bruise.

No one answered him. "I see." Itachi slowly said, taking off his cloak. "Are they having an affair? Last time I checked, she was still dating that idiot Idate."

"At last we finally agree on something." Deidara mumbled, looking away. "Unfortunately for us though, no affair. Apparently they're just friends or something."

Itachi's smirk did not waver. "I see," He replied indifferently. "Well next time you see her, you should tell her to come see us."

Without another word, he disappeared into his room.

.

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* * *

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"Who said anything about _you_?"

Time stopped for a moment.

Kin's satisfied smirk immediately disappeared as she realized the pink haired girl's intentions, but by then it was far too late for her to retaliate. A horrified look overcame her face as Sakura brought the sharp blade to her head and cut through her silky long locks- they could only stare as countless strands of pale pink hair fluttered around her, as if they were delicate sakura petals.

In one swift motion, what had been her long, waist length shiny pink hair was reduced to a short, shoulder-length cut. Sasuke's eyes widened at her actions, as Naruto let out a cry of protest as she broke free of Kin's grip.

Finally free, Sakura's eyes faded from green to red, as the strange glow around her intensified. Showing off her sharp set of fangs, she gave Kin a feral grin. "Payback's a bitch." She said coldly, before swinging her leg hard against the other girl's torso. Kin flew back a couple of meters and slammed against the wall, breaking the cement. She crumbled into a heap, unmoving from her fetal position on the ground.

With a light jump, Sakura landed soundly on her feet next to where the black haired girl was lying. She swung her first forwards as soon as Kin regained her composure and tried to stand back up.

"Back off from Kin or we'll kill your little boyfriend here!" Dosu frantically shouted, bringing a knife to Sai's neck. Sakura stopped for a moment to whirl around.

To both Dosu and Zaku's surprise, Sai lips formed a pleasant smile. Before they could stop him, he brought his right arm forwards and slammed his elbow into Dosu's ribcage. His captor recoiled, letting go of Sai's arm to clutch his stomach in pain. Zaku struggled to restrain the boy on his own, but it was no use- Sai had already gained the upperhand of the situation.

He quickly used his free arm to bring it down onto Zaku's own arm. There was a sickening crack, and Naruto very much suspected that the bones were broken.

Seeing that her friend was fine on his own, Sakura grabbed Kin by the collar and proceeded to repeatedly slam her into the wall. "You should have walked away when I gave you the chance." She growled, throwing the girl's limp body onto the floor. "This is what you get for threatening my friends _again._" She kicked her in the head.

Sasuke was positive that the girl was going to die if they didn't stop her. Granted that it was none of their business- yet there was something unsettling about watching the innocent looking tiny pink haired girl take someone's life right before their eyes. "You're going to kill her if you don't stop now." He quietly said, grabbing her arm. She whirled around to face him, and they simply stood there for a minute, simply staring at each other.

Her eyes slowly faded back to green before they slid shut, as she abruptly passed out.

.

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* * *

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"She should be fine by tomorrow morning." Shikamaru said, exiting the guest room where the now unconscious Sakura was peacefully sleeping. He quietly closed the door behind him, facing the taller pale boy. "You should get some rest too."

Sai nodded gratefully. "Sorry for imposing on you, she must have lost her house keys sometime during the fight." His eyes softened as he looked at the closed door. "She must have passed out from using too much of her energy. It's never gotten so out of hand before... I should have stopped her." He glanced over towards the rest of the boys who were staring at him. "I won't ask why you were following us, since you're helping her out, but I hope you won't tell anyone else about her... abnormality."

"You mean her powers?" Naruto blurted out impatiently. "Do you know anything about them?"

Sai shook his head. "All I know is that she was completely normal before her accident. Her powers only started acting up three years ago, right after the car crash, when she lost her memory." He nodded in thanks as Shikamaru handed him an ice pack for the bruise on his face.

"That must come in handy." Naruto said enthusiastically, his eyes shining. "It's like she has superpowers!"

"No," Sai said, slightly frowning. "She still hasn't learned to to control them completely. Most of the time they just act up on her emotions." There was a brief pause. "It would have been better if she knew how to control them. Today wouldn't have been so out of control if she did. Her hair..." His expression turned dark. "She spent so much time growing it out too. Most of it was cut off three years ago when she got into that car crash... she wanted to grow it out because she was told she used to grow her hair out ever since she was a little girl. It's like she wanted to follow the tradition of the life she could no longer remember."

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto muttered, his expression saddening. "She'll be fine, she's a strong girl! Shoulder length isn't too bad, at least she isn't bald!" He brightened up, trying to lighten the somber atmosphere.

Sasuke's eyes glanced towards the door. Would she really be fine? He had seen the look in her eyes right before she had passed out- it was the look of someone who was broken beyond repair, one he was all too familiar with.

"I should go home now." Sai said. "I would take her to my place but it's too far and my parents are home. It wouldn't look good if I brought home an unconscious girl."

"It's alright, we'll look after her until she wakes up." Shikamaru told him with a nod. "By the looks of it, she'll be sleeping 'til tomorrow mornng. We should just have her skip school and rest if she does. We can arrange to call a locksmith or something when she wakes up."

"No need for that." Sai shook his head. "I know someone who can pick her up tomorrow afternoon. He has an extra set of keys to her house, so she should be fine."

"Well I guess it's fine then." Kiba said, scratching the back of his head. "I don't mean to be rude man, but it's getting late, and I'm pretty tired..."

Sai gave them his trademark pleasant smile. "Of course, I should leave now." He gathered his things and headed towards the front door. His hand reached up to rest on the doorknob as he paused, looking back one last time. "I know I was rude to you in the beginning, but please try to understand it's because I was just trying to protect her. Not many people would be too keen on accepting her... nature, and she's a lot more sensitive than she tries to act. I appreciate you trying to help her."

Without another word, he slipped out of the house.

The remaining boys stood there for a second, as Sai's words sank in. "Well," Shikamaru began awkwardly, breaking the silence. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat. I'm going to go sleep." He let out a loud yawn. "One of you should go wake Neji up and tell him why our target's sleeping in our guest room." He disappeared behind the door to his room.

Kiba nervously eyed Naruto and Sasuke. "Wow, tonight was crazy wasn't it? Well I should really go to sleep too, you know, I need my beauty sleep!" He quickly rushed, and ran into his own room as well. Naruto's jaw dropped, as he turned to face the raven haired boy.

"I'll buy you ramen for the rest of the month if you go wake Neji up." Naruto tried to bribe him. Sasuke simply raised an eyebrow at his idiotic friend. "Okay fine, _two_ months!" The blond added, giving him a hopeful look. "You know you can't resist!"

"Don't compare me to yourself, dobe." Sasuke snapped, clearly irritated. "We have to tell Gaara too."

Naruto's eyes widened in realization. "Are you sure that's a good idea? He might try to kill her again if he finds out she's resting in the house right now, and we can't risk to fail again or she'll never talk to us again."

"He knows better." Sasuke said. Even though Gaara's anger got the best of him most of the time, Sasuke trusted him to be professional enough to not put their entire mission at risk. "I'll go tell Gaara, so go wake Neji up."

Naruto nodded gratefully; waking Neji up wasn't going to be pleasant, but it was always better than telling Gaara. He shuddered at the thought of entering the insomniac's room. "Well er- good luck!" Naruto called out, heading towards Neji's room. Sasuke watched the blond disappear behind the door before heading towards the opposite direction.

He knocked on Gaara's door once and didn't bother waiting for a response before he let himself in. Gaara's room was bare, save for basic furniture- a wardrobe, bed and a desk. Unlike the other rooms, this one was completely empty. While Naruto's room had orange curtains, and even Shikamaru and Neji's room respectively held their own personal flair, there was nothing here to complement Gaara's personal tastes.

"Due to certain circumstances, our target will be staying overnight at our headquarters." Sasuke said flatly, staring straight into Gaara's dark green eyes. "I trust you to not let your personal feelings get in the way of this mission." The sentence sounded funny to his own ears- Gaara probably didn't even _have_ feelings.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Gaara coldly said, from his seated position by the window. "Everything I have done up until now was only for the sake of our mission."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "It seems your definition of helping our mission differs with mine. It's unfortunate, but we have to learn to work as a team. Trust me, I don't like it any more than you do. We shouldn't try to eliminate our target until we find her weaknesses."

Gaara didn't blink. "I would like to get some sleep now, Sasuke. If you've said all you had to say, you should leave." His voice was ice cold, but Sasuke wasn't one to be intimidated easily. With a nod, Sasuke exited the room, quietly closing the door behind him. A slight scowl overcame his face as he made his way back towards his own room. Just who did Gaara think he was, acting on his own? Sasuke didn't usually work well with others either, but if it was required of him, he would.

He quietly slipped into the calmness of his own room- while it was also very simple, the Uchiha clan symbol hung proudly on his wall, setting it aside from every other room in the house. He slipped out of his clothes and into a pair of comfortable black pajama pants, before laying back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

When he closed his eyes to sleep, it hit him.

Gaara didn't sleep.

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* * *

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Sakura woke up with a start to an unfamiliar, dark room.

She had to rub her eyes several times to make sure she wasn't seeing things before she sat up, taking a look at her surroundings. Her muscles slightly ached as she shifted on the extremely comfortable bed. Her head felt lighter- she reached up to run her hand through her hair, remembering that it was short now. She let out a wistful sigh- oh well, it would grow back with time.

Her eyes widened as her keen senses alerted her of someone else's presence in the room. She looked towards the dark corner of the room to see a set of dark green eyes intently staring at her. She glared back, gathering her composure.

"It's you." Her tone was accusing as she pointed a finger at him in disbelief. "You're the guy who tried to kill me the other day." She recognized his flaming red hair and the unique tattoo on his forehead, though it was barely visible under the moonlight. "Did you kidnap me? What happened to Sai? What about Sasuke and his friends?" She grew irritated with his silence.

"You're safe." He said in a low voice, slowly walking towards her. "For now."

She frowned at his not-so-subtle threat. She unconsciously leaned back as he sat on the bed, the bed shifting underneath the pressure of his weight. Green met green as he brought his face right in front of her own, planting one hand on each side of her head, trapping her.

"I always liked it better when your hair was short."

It was a mere whisper, barely audible even in the silence of the room. All her thoughts flew out the window; she could only think about _how damn close his lips were_ to her own right now. She took a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to lean back some more. She felt him slightly move, as his face grew closer.

"Gaara, what do you think you're doing?"

Sakura's eyes snapped back open as she let out a quiet sigh of relief. The door to the room was open now, an extremely annoyed Sasuke standing at the doorway. Gaara's hands slowly returned to his sides as he stood up, walking towards Sasuke. Her shoulders tensed up- for a moment, she was positive that they were going to start fighting.

However, nothing happened. "Nothing." Gaara said quietly, and swiftly left the room. A look of bewilderment crossed her face as Sasuke shut the door behind him. For a full minute, they simply stared at each other.

She blushed, realizing that the man standing in front of her in a closed room was _half-naked_. She couldn't stop her eyes from peeking at his broad shoulders and toned abs- he was quite fit. She _was_ a teenage girl after all, and she was at the age in which hormones were at high levels. She shook her head, reminding herself that this was not the time for useless fangirling.

"So I guess that's the ex-boyfriend, huh." She said dumbly, her eyebrows knitting together into a frown. "Are all ex-boyfriends like that?"

"I wouldn't know." Sasuke replied dryly. "It's not like _I_ have an ex-boyfriend."

She lightly chuckled at his words, before frowning again. "Where am I? The last thing I remember is being at the warehouse... and..." Her eyes widened as she recalled the events from a couple hours back. "Sai! Where's Sai? What happened to Kin and the others?" She frantically climbed out of the bed, wincing as her injured foot gave in underneath her weight.

Sasuke pushed her back onto the bed, giving her a disapproving look. "Take a seat, you're in no condition to go running around." He told her, stepping back again. "Your friend is fine. He had to go home first, but he said he'd send someone to come pick you up tomorrow afternoon. You lost your house keys during the fight so we couldn't send you back home."

"So is this... your house?" She hesitantly asked, looking around.

"I guess you could call it that." Sasuke said flatly. "I live here with the other guys. Due to some... personal reasons, we're temporarily living under the same roof."

Sakura's face scrunched up. "Why were you guys in the warehouse to begin with? Were you stalking me?"

"Don't flatter yourself." Sasuke told her, rolling his eyes. "I was just meeting up with the other guys after the movie and Naruto bet that you and Sai were secretly dating. We bet money on it, so we followed you to see if it was true." He told her the perfectly practiced lie- he had to admit, he sounded pretty convincing.

"And why did you come to my room in the middle of the night, knowing that I would probably still be sleeping?"

This girl couldn't cut him a break. Did he really look like such a suspicious person?

"Gaara told me he was going to sleep." He told her, starting to get extremely irritated.

"And?"

"Gaara hasn't slept in seven years."

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* * *

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It was almost midnight when Sai casually strolled into a bar, earning a couple of curious glances from various customers. The tall bartender with long dark hair tied into a loose ponytail smiled at him, skeptically raising an eyebrow at the younger boy's appearance.

"Well aren't you bold, mindlessly walking in wearing your school uniform at night." Idate told him cheerfully, slowly setting down the glass he was washing. He motioned for Sai to take a seat on one of the stools in front of him. "I'd send you home right away, but you've never come see me at night, so I'm assuming something happened."

Sai was impressed. Idate had a keen sense for reading body language-something Sai yet had to master.

"She'll probably kill me when she finds out I told you this," Sai admitted, accepting a cup of orange juice. "But we got into a pretty bad fight, and she passed out. I dropped her off at our classmate's house, 'cause she lost her keys. You should go pick her up tomorrow afternoon before you begin work."

Idate hopelessly sighed. "Another fight? This is exactly why I told her to quit the Akatsuki, but I guess it can't be helped." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "She's still growing up, so it's natural for her to be so restless. I just wish she'd take care of herself better." He sighed again.

Sai quietly observed the older man in front of him. Most people would agree that Idate was quite good-looking; he was mature, tall and lean, with long dark brown hair that was usually tied into a ponytail at the back. His facial features were masculine- his cheekbones were high and defined, and his skin was tan and smooth. And- it didn't hurt that he had inherited a bar from his relatives at the mere age of 28.

The artist sometimes wondered what Idate and Sakura saw in each other. While Sakura was loud and rebellious, Idate was the opposite- he liked peace and quiet, and always tried to avoid confrontations unless they were absolutely necessary. Their huge age gap also spoke for itself- ten years was a big difference. Sakura was still a growing teenager, while Idate was a fully matured man.

But somehow, Sai could see how their relationship could work. Sakura had met Idate three years ago, barely after the car crash. The older man had been visiting the hospital to check in on one of his siblings, who had caught a quite nasty infection from an untended gash on the arm. He had apparently overheard about Sakura's situation- how she lost her memory and had no family to return to. He assured her that it was not pity that had drawn him to her room- it had been the lost look in her eyes.

He had approached her with a gentle smile and a _how are you, it's awfully nice to meet you_ on a rainy day, and from that day forwards they began sharing an unbreakable bond. Idate was exactly what she had needed at the time to heal, and she was an example of what he was born to do- fix things. Idate became someone extremely important to her- he was like her family. Sai sometimes suspected that Sakura's feelings towards the older man weren't entirely romantic- but when she had turned eighteen almost a year ago, Idate confessed, admitting that he was romantically interested in her, and she had accepted. She could learn to love him, over time. After all, there was no one who looked after her the way Idate did.

"She'll grow up with time," Sai quietly said, earning a genuine smile from the older man.

"Sometimes I feel like such a dirty old man." He said with a sigh, shaking his head. "Sometimes I forget that she's just a teenager."

"She needs someone like you to guide her." Sai told him, taking a sip of his orange juice. "She would be lost without you, and you know it."

Idate's expression momentarily clouded over. His pale blue eyes looked thoughtful for a second, before he shook his head. "Anyways, I appreciate you coming over to tell me this, but you should head home." He glanced at the watch hanging on the wall behind him. "It's far too late for a high schooler like you to be wandering around. What would your parents think of me if they knew I was keeping you out at this time? At a bar, nonetheless!" He made a shooing motion with his hands.

Sai stood up with pleasant smile on his face. "I'll be leaving now then. I will send you the address of the house Sakura is staying in by text."

"Alright, you take care. If you run into any trouble, don't hesitate to call me!" Idate cheerfully waved, his eyes crinkling up into a friendly smile. Sai gave him one last nod, and exited into the cold November night.

Winter was here.

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* * *

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"Gaara has severe insomnia." Sasuke explained to the horrified girl. "No one knows why."

"I see," She whispered. "It must be horrible, to not be able to sleep."

Sasuke frowned, staring at her intently. "Sakura," He started to say, changing the subject. "I have something to ask you, and I want you to tell me the truth." The tone of his voice left no room for argument, as she slowly nodded at his solemn words.

"What _are _you?"

Her pale green eyes widened at his sudden question. She had not been expecting such a direct question from him. Her pink eyebrows knitted together as she tried to come up with an answer for him.

"I..." She hesitated for a second, and turned away. "It's late, Sasuke, You should go to sleep."

Sasuke stepped forwards, his cold hand touching her warm, flushed skin as he grabbed her by the arm, forcing her to look at him again. "Answer my question." He said, his dark onyx orbs staring deep into her. "Tell me, Sakura."

She winced at his strong grip. "I... don't know, Sasuke, I swear to god!" She frantically answered him, trying to pull away from his tight grip. "All I know is that they call me the Damned. But I promise you, that's all I know!"

He must have realized how tightly he was grabbing onto her, because within the next second he immediately dropped his hand back to his side. "I'm sorry. You should get some more sleep." He murmured, running a hand through his wild raven hair in an useless attempt to flatten it. "I'll see you tomorrow." He abruptly turned around and walked out of her room, quietly closing the door behind him.

Her heart beat loudly against her ribcage as the sounds of his footsteps echoed down the hall, quickly fading away.

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* * *

,

,

Sakura woke up the next morning to an empty house. She curiously wandered through the empty hallway- and true to Sasuke's word, it seemed like all six of them were currently living under the same roof. She was quite impressed with the size of their house- they were probably all pretty wealthy, she thought. She knew that she shouldn't have breached their privacy, but she couldn't resist peeking into their rooms, one at a time.

It was quite easy to recognize who's room was who's, despite the fact that she wasn't close to most of them. Naruto's room was clearly the one covered in orange- curtains, bedsheets, pillows, and clothes. She grimaced at his bad taste. Kiba's room was the messiest one, full of clothes strewn all over the floor and pictures of himself and a girl she supposed was his older sister, judging by the same red markings they shared.

Gaara's room was perfectly simple. The only reason she recognized it was because of the one framed picture on his desk- a photograph of himself alongside two other people. One, a taller girl with sandy blonde hair and the other, a stout boy with strange purple markings. Fascinated, she approached the desk, gingerly holding the frame as she took a closer look at the photograph. As she fingered the wooden frame in her hands, she noticed another frail photograph neatly folded into a small square stuck at the back.

She curiously unfolded the rather old piece of paper, her eyes widening as she very much recognized the two main subjects. A younger version of Gaara stared straight up at her- not much was different, except his face was a bit rounder and he was a little bit shorter. Her eyes shifted to the person to his right, as she stared into a younger version of herself.

Sakura stared into a copy of her own pale green eyes, but they were different. They were full of life- she was surprised at how _happy_ she looked. They sparkled as she wore a big smile on her lips, as she happily linked arms with the red head boy next to her. If she had to guess, she was no older than fifteen in the picture.

She froze as she heard the distinct sound of the front door to the house opening. She tried to stay as quiet as possible, keeping her breathing controlled as a set of footsteps got closer. She prayed that she wouldn't be discovered- but her heart fell when the footsteps came to a stop in front of the room. She hastily folded the picture back and stuffed it into a wooden corner at the back of the frame. If she was going to get caught, she would try her best to lessen the damage done.

"You can come out now, Sakura-san. I already know you're in there." A deep voice spoke up. Her shoulders slumped in defeat as she made her way towards the door, meekly peeking her head out as she was met by a pair of beautiful pearl white eyes. She gave him a sheepish apologetic grin as she stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"Hyuuga Neji-san, right?" She asked him, remembering Sasuke's words. It was hard to miss Neji when Sasuke described him as the 'white-eyed freak'. "Sorry about that, I was just kind of curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat," Neji calmly stated, his face not betraying anything. "Gaara would kill you without thinking it over twice if he found you snooping around in his room. You're lucky I was the one to stay home today." After seeing the confused look on her face, he continued. "We didn't think it was good idea to leave you alone in the house, so I stayed behind. I just went out to buy some milk." He didn't mention that one of them had to stay behind to make sure she didn't look into Shikamaru's room- most of the data for their mission was stored in there.

Her face reddened as her stomach let out a loud grumble. "You wouldn't happen to have any food to spare, would you?" She asked, her face burning in embarrassment. Neji sighed, motioning for her to follow him to the kitchen. He politely pulled out a chair for her, and headed over to the refrigerator.

"We have toast. You can choose between peanut butter or jam, or both." He told her, pulling a couple of things out.

Sakura jumped up from her seat and pushed him away. "Oh no, please don't be bothered." She told him sternly, pushing him onto a chair. "I'm going to make you one of my breakfast specials!" She busied herself in rummaging through the cabinets.

Neji tried very hard to ignore the way in which the oversized t-shirt she was wearing as pajamas rode up to show off her creamy long legs as she reached for one of the higher cabinets.

After all, he was still a hot-blooded male.

His left eye twitched as she finally set down a plate in front of him. "Sakura-san, _what_ is this?" He asked her, eyeing the piece of toast on his plate. It was coated in butter and white sugar. "Isn't this extremely unhealthy?"

The petite pink haired girl beamed at him as she took a seat across from him. "It's unhealthy, which is why I can only eat this once in awhile. But trust me, it's amazing!" She quickly delved into her own plate. Neji shot her an uncertain look, doubtfully poking at the piece of bread before taking a small bite.

It tasted absolutely _amazing. _

But he wasn't about to admit that to her.

He looked up into her eager face. "It's passable." He said monotonously, with a nod. She gave him a smirk, as if she had read his mind- the corners of his lips quirked upwards as he gave her a small smirk of his own.

Neji found himself slightly troubled as the thought of having to murder her crossed his mind.

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* * *

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"Why do we have to come to school if Sakura-chan isn't even here?" Naruto whined, slouching over his desk. "It kind of defeats the whole purpose of being undercover high school students, doesn't it?" He pouted, looking unhappily at his friends.

Sasuke sighed at his friend's idiocy. "Dobe, don't you think she'd be suspicious if we all mysteriously decided to take a day off on the day she's at our headquarters?" He asked, rolling his eyes. "Try to think with your brain for once."

"Hey, I take offense to that." Naruto said with a frown. "I'm not as dumb as you guys make me out to be!"

"Do you think Neji's going to be alright on his own?" Kiba interrupted, ignoring Naruto's words. "I mean things could get pretty out of hand while we're not there."

Shikamaru lazily opened an eye to observe the canine boy. "He'll be fine. There's a reason he's our leader." He leaned back and closed his eyes again. It was hard to tell if he was actually awake or napping.

"Shikamaru," Sasuke called. "Sakura said something interesting last night."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What do you mean by last night?"

Sasuke promptly ignored him. "She briefly woke up last night, and I paid her a visit. I tried to ask about her powers, but she said the only thing she knew was that they call her a 'Damned' or something."

"What were you doing in Sakura-chan's room at night?" Naruto's face was turning more horrified by the second.

"The Damned?" Shikamaru repeated, ignoring the blonde as well. "Well that's quite interesting."

Kiba looked interested as well. "Isn't that the legend about the seven demons?" He asked, lowering his voice as he joined in the conversation. "The one Orochimaru told us about three years ago when we first got this mission. Didn't he say something about the legend being true? That's why we were assigned to kill seven people, wasn't it?" His eyes widened in realization. "Do you guys think it's actually true? Maybe the other six guys we killed really had weird powers like Sakura? Maybe the whole story about seven demons being cast into the world and becoming the 'Damned' is true!"

"That's quite possible." Shikamaru said thoughtfully. "We can't be sure that the story about demons being cast onto earth is true, but this whole mission is definitely related to that legend. Orochimaru might have been right."

"Why is it that we were able to kill the other six victims so easily though?" Tired of being ignored, Naruto added his own thoughts to the conversation. "I think one of us might have noticed if our victims had weird barriers surrounding them, but the other guys were completely normal."

Sasuke shook his head. "Remember what Sai said about Sakura's powers?" He cast a brief look towards the lone artist sitting in the opposite corner of the classroom. "Sakura's powers were dormant up until three years ago. Maybe it was the same with all the others as well. Or maybe Orochimaru had the wrong people. We can't be sure."

"This is starting to give me a headache." Naruto groaned, leaning back. "I don't get this whole thing about demons, Damend and superpowers or whatever. I'd rather just stay home and eat ramen."

"Uzumaki!" Asuma barked from the front of the room. "Self-study is not a synonym for 'waste your time by gossiping with friends'. Shut up and study unless you want detention!"

Naruto glared at him. "Geez, why am _I _the one to always get into trouble?" He grumbled under his breath.

"_Uzumaki!_"

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* * *

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"Welcome back!"

Sasuke and the others were met with Sakura's happy greeting as they returned through the front door. The Uchiha's eyebrow slightly arched upwards at her energetic behavior, while Naruto gave her a contagious grin. He walked over to her smaller figure and patted her on the head. Neji briefly mouthed '_sugar_' behind her as if to explain her out of character actions.

I'm glad to see you're doing well, Sakura-chan!" He beamed at her, before giving her a tight hug. Her eyes widened at the sudden close contact, and she pushed him away. "Sorry Sakura-chan, I got a bit carried away." He sheepishly said, scratching the back of his head. "But you looked so cute, I couldn't resist!"

"Dobe." Sasuke muttered under his breath, looking annoyed. "She's clearly not comfortable with you touching her."

Sakura momentarily tensed as Gaara wordlessly walked by her, shutting himself in his own room. "Don't mind him." Shikamaru said with a shrug, throwing himself onto the couch. "Gaara's usually like that with everyone else as well."

"Gaara doesn't like being around when there's a cheerful atmosphere." Naruto said, his nose wrinkling up. "He's such a party pooper."

"Did you just say _party pooper_?" Kiba asked in disbelief. "Who the hell even says that anymore?"

"I do!" Naruto said defensively, shooting the brunette a glare.

"Whatever, I don't feel like arguing with you." Kiba muttered, taking a seat next to Shikamaru. "Is anything good on tv?" He asked the genius, ignoring Naruto's protests at being ignored.

Sakura relaxed, as the atmosphere around them gradually went back to being normal. When had she grown so comfortable around these boys? Maybe Sai had been right- she _did _trust people too easily, but so far her judgement had always turned out to be right. She had trusted Sai and she had trusted Idate, and both people had turned out out to be extremely important people in her life.

Maybe, for once, she could stop being paranoid and broaden her world- little by little.

She was startled out of her thoughts when she heard a door being slammed open. Gaara stood at the doorway, his cold green eyes staring right at her.

"Who came into my room?"

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* * *

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_Someday we'll look back ,_

_And say it wasn't just a dream._

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* * *

**A/N: You guys are absolutely AMAZING. Thank you for all of your kind reviews. **


	6. polygraph, right now

**.**

**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED**

**stfuSPARKS**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, it would be renamed 'Sakura'. _

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**VI.**

**Polygraph, Right Now! **

"_Fate is an elegant, cold hearted whore,_

_She loves salting my wounds, _

_Yeah she enjoys nothing more…"_

_._

_._

_._

Gaara's glare was chillingly cold.

No one in the room moved.

"Neji, you and Sakura were the only ones to stay home today. I assume that you know me well enough to not go into my room without asking." The red head slowly turned his gaze towards Sakura, who was guiltily looking at her feet. "What makes you think that you can sneak around into other people's rooms?" His voice was dangerously low. "The others might be dense enough to forgive you, but I do not appreciate someone who takes advantage of other people's hospitality."

The Hyuuga tried to quickly think- he couldn't be sure that Gaara would be able to restrain his anger this time around. On the other hand, if he took the blame, Gaara would not be able to do much- Neji _was_ team captain after all.

"Gaara, I was the one who went into your room. I couldn't find Sakura so I thought she might be there-"

"It was me Gaara."

Sakura stepped forwards, cutting Neji off mid-sentence. "You're right, I took advantage of your hospitality. But Neji has nothing to do with this, so just leave him out of it." She frowned, extremely tired of being pushed around by the other boy. "Who the hell do you think you are anyways? Trying to kill me over something we had in the past? You're lucky I didn't report you to the police. I can understand that you might have anger management problems or something, but _seriously_! My patience has its limits!"

A searing pain came over Gaara's head.

_I'll always be here for you, Gaara._

He hissed as unwanted memories came rushing to his head. "Shut up." He hissed, taking a step backwards as he grabbed his head in pain.

Her green eyes softened, almost as if she understood what he was going through. "Listen, I lost my memories three years ago, so I have no memory of who you are, or who you were to me. I don't know what I did to you to make you hate me so much... but you have to understand that the me back then was a completely different person compared to who I am now. You can't hold a grudge you have against the old me to the current me." She hesitantly reached out to touch his arm.

As soon as her nimble fingers came into contact with his skin, he immediately tensed up. She was beginning to think that everything was alright now-

Her thoughts were interrupted as his fist shot out, impacting heavily with her cheek. She let out a pained gasp as she felt her body fly backwards, her back colliding with the floor. She sat there for a second, not comprehending the situation.

"Gaara!" Naruto roared, immediately rushing to her aid. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Starting step one to eliminating our target." Gaara answered monotonously. Naruto shot an alarming look towards Sakura, in fear that she had heard the redhead's words; but fortunately the girl was too busy being disoriented to hear anything else.

"Neji, get him out of here." Sasuke growled, as the Hyuuga stepped forwards. However, he didn't have to do anything; without another word, Gaara left the house, slamming the door loudly behind him. With Naruto's help, Sasuke picked Sakura up and set her gently on the couch, while Shikamaru headed towards the kitchen to pull out another ice pack.

Naruto worriedly hovered over the pink haired girl. "Are you okay Sakura-chan?" He asked, with a concerned look on his face. "That was a pretty hard punch- and trust me, I know how hard Gaara can hit." He gave her a small smile, hoping to cheer her up.

"I'm fine," Sakura told him with a dazed expression on her face. "You don't need to worry about me, I heal pretty quickly."

"I told you Gaara was psycho." Naruto said, shaking his head. "He doesn't like being touched either, so you might want to avoid doing that in the future."

"Oh, you think?" Kiba asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "I think she pretty much figured that one out on her own." He eyed her warily from a distance. "I don't like you much Sakura, but you should be more careful around him. Apparently there are people around you who care."

She uncomfortably fidgeted from her position on the couch. "Yeah, I got it. I'm fine, you really don't have to worry about me."

"Don't think you're invincible only because you have weird powers." Kiba told her warningly. "If you depend on your powers too much, you'll end up in a bad situation sooner or later. I heard you haven't even learned to control them yet- that's the least you could do, if you want to keep yourself out of trouble."

Sakura glumly nodded.

"Sai said someone would come pick you up this afternoon." Shikamaru told her, and paused. "You have a good friend."

A soft smile graced her lips. "I know." She said fondly, thinking of her artistically talented friend. "Sai's amazing. He can be a bit weird at times, but deep inside he's a great person." She glanced at the clock, her expression turning anxious. "Sai was probably talking about Idate- he's the only person who has an extra set of keys to my house."

"Who's Idate?" Naruto bluntly asked, looking a bit displeased. "And why would he have a copy of the keys to your house, Sakura-chan?"

She slightly blushed- for some reason, this irritated Sasuke. Just a little bit. "He's my boyfriend." Her own words sounded awkward to her ears. Naruto's jaw dropped open at her statement.

"You have a boyfriend?" Naruto asked, his tone almost accusing. "Why haven't we heard of this!" He gave her an alarmed look. "How old is he? What does he do? What does he look like? I want details, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura unconsciously leaned back at his sudden bombardment of questions. "Well, no offense Naruto but we haven't exactly been buddies for long." She told him. "And uh, he's twenty-eight. He owns a small bar downtown."

Naruto thought his face would explode. "Twenty-eight?" He shrieked, his voice turning shrilly. "And a bar? Dear god, Sakura-chan, don't you know how the world works at all? He's way too old for you! He's probably just taking advantage of you because you're pretty and young! And never trust a guy who works at a bar- they work in an environment surrounded by too many sultry women!"

"I assure you that I am in no way taking advantage of Sakura."

Everyone whirled around to look at the man standing at the front door. He gave them an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to barge in- but no one was answering and I could hear yelling, so I got a little worried." The smile on his face was genuine, warm. "I couldn't help but overhear part of your conversation. It's nice of you to be worried on Sakura's behalf, but I promise you that I am one hundred percent devoted to her."

"You were being rude- apologize, Naruto." Neji ordered the blond, who was guiltily looking out the window.

"Sorry." Naruto mumbled, his voice unconvincing. However, the older man didn't seem to mind.

"My name is Morino Idate." The man introduced himself, with a formal bow. "I have been dating Sakura for almost a year now. Thank you for looking after her for me." He gave them an appreciative nod and ruffled Sakura's short hair. "You look cute with short hair, Sakura! It makes you look more mature." He told her. The pink haired girl beamed at him in response.

Sasuke carefully observed the man- he seemed like a normal guy. There was absolutely nothing about him that was special, which was a bit of a disappointment. Sakura was so intriguing that he dulled in comparison by standing next to her. At least he seemed sincere enough, and he seemed like the type of guy who would take good care of his girlfriend.

"Thanks for picking me up." Sakura said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll be right back, I'll just go get my stuff." She disappeared into the hallway, heading towards the guest room.

The boys awkwardly stood there for a second, not saying a word.

"So, how did you meet Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked curiously, still looking distrustful.

Idate smiled at him once again. "Well, three years ago I was visiting my brother in the hospital when I saw her for the first time. I guess you could say it was love at first sight for me." His clear blue eyes warmed at the mere memory. "I couldn't stop myself- I had to go talk to her. She just looked so mesmerizing and lonely at the same time, I felt like I needed to stay by her side."

"Even though she was fifteen years old at the time?" Naruto blurted out, glaring at him. Idate let out a sheepish laugh.

"I know I must look like a sick old pedophile to you." Idate said, scratching the back of his head. "But I don't know how to explain it. It wasn't physical attraction as much as it was just psychological. Of course I found her beautiful, but it was just the look in her eyes that absorbed me in. When I talked to her, I knew it was something huge."

Naruto still wasn't convinced.

"I sure as hell wouldn't fall for a fifteen year old girl at the age of twenty five." The blond muttered disapprovingly under his breath. "Does a fifteen year old girl even look romantically appealing at that age?"

"I'm not asking you to understand." Idate said gently. "Not many people do. But the first time I saw her, I just saw a lonely human being who was almost too broken to repair. I felt compelled to stay by her side and fix her, that is all. I watched her grow up for three years- and of course, I waited until she was eighteen to ask her to date me."

"Sorry it took me so long." Sakura said, panting as she rushed back into the living room. "I hope they didn't bother you too much." She added, shooting a pointed look at Naruto. He avoided her gaze. She turned to face the others. "Thanks for taking care of me. I'll forgive you for thinking that I was dating Sai." She said with a wink. "Sorry you lost the bet Naruto."

"Huh? What bet- mmph!" Sasuke quickly put his hand over the blonde's mouth, effectively shutting him up.

"Don't even remind him- he won't shut up about it." Sasuke said flatly. Sakura eyed him strangely, before dismissing his actions.

"Thank you for taking care of Sakura." Idate said, bowing. He turned towards the struggling blond. "Please don't worry, I assure you that I'll take great care of her." Naruto grunted in response.

After saying their goodbyes, the couple quickly left. Naruto let out a sigh of relief and the front door closed with a quiet _click_.

"Man, this sucks." Naruto grumbled under his breath. "Sakura-chan is way too young and pretty for a guy like that! A guy that old is only gonna tie her down."

Kiba snorted at his words, earning a few curious gazes from the boys around him. "I can't believe how dense you guys are." The Inuzuka said, wrinkling his nose. "It's so obvious. Their relationship is clearly not mutual."

"What d'you mean?" Naruto asked in disbelief. "Like- he's forcing her to go out with him or something?"

Kiba rolled his eyes. "No you idiot, nothing like that." He said with an exasperated sigh. "That man is clearly in love with her- you don't have to worry about that. Everything about him indicates that he ihas been in love with that girl for a long time." He paused. "But she is clearly not in love with him. Not romantically, at least."

"Care to explain in detail?" Shikamaru asked, glancing at him.

"Shikamaru, you may be a genius when it comes to technical stuff, but you just can't beat an Inuzuka when it comes to human instincts." Kiba shot with a grin. "Well, she treasures the man, that's for sure. But I can tell that she doesn't think of him as a romantically- more like a brother. If what he told us is true, it's probably because he's been by her side ever since she lost her memory."

"Then why is she with him?" Naruto blurted out.

"I think it's because he makes her feel safe." Kiba said thoughtfully. "She knows that he'll never hurt her, and even if it's not in a romantic way, she still enjoys his company. She wants to be on the safe side and stick with him. She probably feels like he's her haven. The air around her becomes much calmer when he's next to her."

The boys mindlessly carried on with their conversation, not knowing that a barely a couple of meters from the house, Gaara was sitting in the shadows, observing the said couple make their way towards Idate's car.

_Love is weakness. _

_I will weaken you. _

_Sakura. _

_._

_._

* * *

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.

"It's nice to see you making new friends." Idate said with a smile, not taking his eyes off the road. "I've never seen you hang out with anyone other than Sai before." He added, looking genuinely pleased.

Sakura grimaced, leaning back into the passenger's seat. "They're new transfer students. I don't really know them that well. I guess you can say that they were at the right place at the right time."

"You looked pretty close back there." Idate contradicted her. "You don't have to deny it Sakura. I really don't mind if you find new friends- I'd be happy for you."

The pink haired girl stayed silent for a few minutes, not answering him. "My world has always consisted of only you and Sai." She admitted quietly. Idate gave her a brief surprised look. "But my past is starting to catch up with me now, and my world might have to become a bit larger now. You and Sai may no longer be the only ones in my life." She confessed. "Would you still be okay?"

Idate's look of surprise was replaced by a nostalgic smile. "You're maturing, Sakura." He said a bit fondly, reaching out a hand to ruffle her hair again. "You make me feel so old sometimes. Of course I'll be okay. I've always known that one day your past would unravel right before my eyes, I just didn't think it would be so soon." He laughed. "No matter what happens, I'll always be by your side."

She let out a content sigh, closing her eyes as she leaned back. "I wish I could stay with you and Sai forever." She murmured, slowly drifting off to sleep.

The sound of the car engine lulled her to sleep.

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* * *

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The first thing that hit Sakura the next morning was a very bad feeling in her gut.

There was something that didn't feel quite right. And it wasn't the dreary morning or the fog in the air either. Sakura groggily got up from her bed, running a hand through her tangled short pink locks. She cracked an eye open, looking around at her room. Nothing was out of place- the room was intact, just the way she had left it before going to sleep. She reached out to slam her hand over the loud alarm clock, effectively silencing the loud ring.

"I'm awake." She murmured to no one in particular, dragging herself out of the bed to start a new day.

Her usually bright green eyes stared back at her dully as she looked at herself in the mirror. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, exposing more of her pale skin. She licked her cracked lips, noting how dry her skin was.

Something was definitely wrong.

After getting ready, she picked up her phone, dialing a familiar number by heart. She listened to the phone on the other end of the line ring a couple of times before someone picked up.

She didn't give him a chance to talk first. "Sai?" She asked breathlessly. There was a pause.

"Sakura? What's wrong?" His voice sounded concerned. "You usually don't call me unless something's up."

"I'm not sure." She quietly confessed, clutching the phone tighter in her hand. "But can you come pick me up to go to school? I have a bad feeling about today."

"Is this because of your-"

"I don't know if it has to do with my powers." She rushed, interrupting him mid-sentence. "Maybe it's just me being paranoid for no reason, but to be honest Sai, I feel like crap today. I would really appreciate if you came by to pick me up."

"Hold on, I'll be there in ten minutes." Sai seriously said, and quickly hung up the phone.

Her unspoken words of gratitude lingered on the tip of her tongue. She felt a little relieved now- Sai had a way of soothing her by merely standing by her side. She was erratic, impatient, breakable. He was always constant, calm, her pillar of stone.

True to his word, Sai was standing at her doorstep within the next ten minutes, patiently waiting for her to put on her shoes as she stumbled out of her humble apartment. "Thanks." She gave him a clumsy smile as she slammed the door shut behind her. "You're a lifesaver." She added.

He gave her a nonchalant shrug. "No problem. I was just worried."

They settled into a comfortable pace as they started to walk along the street. "The last time I got this feeling, Sasori was seriously hurt." Sakura quietly confessed, looking wary. "It was almost the same thing. I woke up feeling all crappy, like I had this gut feeling that something bad was going to happen. Thank god I was out eating with Sasori that day because Deidara and the others ditched us- we were ambushed at the restaurant. If I wasn't there, Sasori wouldn't have survived the attack."

"You think I'm in trouble." Sai stated.

Sakura shook her head. "I don't know. It's definitely not Sasori, Deidara or anyone from the Akatsuki. Hidan and Kakuzu ran into near death experiences too but I didn't sense anything back then- probably because I wasn't around them as much. I haven't hung out properly with any of them for an entire year- right now, the only possibilities are you and Idate." Her expression darkened as she murmured the latter name.

"I'll be fine." Sai stated, giving her a soft pat on the back. "I can take care of myself- plus, I'm not like your ex friends. I'm not in some criminal organization or anything, so the chances of me being attacked are highly unlikely."

"But what if someone was trying to get to me through you, like Kin did?" Sakura asked him, biting her lip. "I would never be able to live with myself if something happened to you because of me." She glanced over at him when he didn't immediately answer her.

"Sakura, I'll just be honest with you. I don't trust those guys you've been hanging out with recently." Sai bluntly told her, earning a look of surprise from the pink haired girl. "Did you explain to them about the source of your powers?"

Sakura lowered her gaze to her feet. "Well I kind of _had_ to Sai. Remember they saw everything that happened at the warehouse with Kin and her lackeys? Any excuse wouldn't have been enough to satisfy their curiosity."

Sai sighed. "I don't like exposing you to too many people, Sakura. You have to remember that not everyone in this world is good. There are bad people who will come look for you once the world finds out about your powers. Most of them probably won't even need you alive. I'm just trying to protect you."

"I know.' She said, giving him a grateful smile. "But just for today, let me protect you."

.

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* * *

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.

"Good morning." Sakura politely greeted, walking into her classroom. A couple of students shot several wary looks her way, which she pointedly ignored. Naruto enthusiastically waved her over, flailing his arms around in the air.

"Ohayo, Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed in an excessively loud voice, shooting her a dashing grin. His face immediately dropped as she walked closer. "You look terrible today, Sakura-chan! Is anything wrong?"

"Baka, you don't tell women they look terrible." Kiba barked, smacking his friend on the back of his head. He glanced up to look at the pink haired girl. "But I have to say Naruto's right. You're not looking too well today, Haruno."

Sakura forced a smile onto her face. "I'm fine guys. Just having an off day. I guess rainy days aren't my thing." They seemed to be satisfied with her answer. Naruto and Kiba fell back into a useless argument about brunettes versus blondes, while Sasuke, Neji and Shikamaru decided to ignore them. Gaara seemed to be absent- not that she minded that much.

Sakura and Sai took their seats. She sighed, leaning her head against the desk as she looked out the window. The clouds in the sky were increasing in number- it looked like a storm was on its way towards the city. Her dull green eyes watched the raindrops slowly fall.

"If you're that worried about him, you should go see him."

She turned around in surprise to look at Sai. He was staring at her with a knowing smile on his face. She shot him a confused look.

"I can tell you're worried about Idate. If you're that worried about him, you should go see him. I'll be fine at school." He told her. "I'm sure he'd be happy to see you."

Sakura hesitated. "He hates it when I skip school though." She sullenly said. "He'd probably scold me or something again. Plus, he has to work as well. I'd probably just be a nuisance to him."

"Sakura, he may disapprove of you skipping school, but there is no man on the face of this earth who would not be happy to see the woman he loves, no matter what the circumstances are." Sai told her. "And I'm sure he'll understand if you explain the situation to him. He isn't the type of person to ignore the fact that you're not feeling well." He watched her expression slightly falter. "I'll call him, ask him to pick you up."

She shook her head. "I think I'll go pay him a small visit myself. It'll feel relaxing to take a walk in this rain- I'll just surprise him at work." Her chair scraped against the floor as she abruptly stood up, getting her things together. "Tell Asuma-sensei I came down with the flu or something."

She barely caught Naruto's bewildered look and Sasuke's perfectly arched eyebrow as she quickly exited the classroom.

.

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* * *

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.

The little roseate haired girl quickly burst into Idate's bar, her viridian eyes looking around for her partner. She frowned when she saw no signs of him. The only familiar faces she could spot were the two main bartenders, Izumo and Kotetsu.

"Good morning Sakura-chan, it's been awhile!" Izumo cheerfully greeted her, giving her a warm smile. "Aren't you supposed to be at school right now?" He added sternly, realizing that it was still early. "Idate isn't going to be happy when he finds out you've been skipping again."

"Eh, I know." Sakura sheepishly stuck out her tongue. "I came here expecting to get scolded. But I have a valid excuse! I wasn't feel well, so Sai told me I could come see Idate and then go home."

Kotetsu sighed, shaking his head. "That Sai- he thinks he's so responsible, but deep down he's still a teenager as well. What was he thinking, telling you it's okay to walk in this rain when you're feeling sick?" He cast her a pitying look. "Sorry to let you down love, but Idate isn't here today. He hasn't called in yet, so he might just be oversleeping. God knows that man needs a day off."

"That's weird." Sakura tilted her head to the side. "He's never missed work before."

Izumo and Kotetsu both looked at each other. "You should go check up on him if you're worried." Izumo told her with a warm smile. "If he happens to be oversleeping, tell him he can just have the entire day off. The two of you should just spend all day resting at home."

"Call us if he touches you in any inappropriate way." Kotetsu added, frowning. "The two of you aren't allowed to do anything until after marriage!"

Sakura's cheeks burned at his statement. "It's none of your business!" She exclaimed in an annoyed manner, avoiding eye contact. "Whatever, I'm leaving!"

"Wait Sakura-chan!" Izumo called out to her. "Have someone come with you. It's not safe for you to wander around the streets on your own when you're not feeling well." He told her with a concerned look. "Hey Kankuro!" He called, as Sakura cast a bewildered look towards the storeroom. "He's new here." Izumo added, as if reading her thoughts. "He's pretty lazy but I think he'll do a good job."

"Kankuro!" Kotetsu kicked the door to the storeroom open, revealing a young man who looked like he was in his early twenties. His sandy blond hair wildly stuck out in all directions, as if it hadn't been brushed for a couple of days. His tan skin indicated that he probably wasn't a local of this city- he looked like he came from a place that was dry and sunny all year round. He was sitting on a stool, leaning against a couple of boxes as he let out a loud snore.

"You should've seen the obscene markings on his face when he first came in." Izumo whispered into her ear, while Kotetsu stormed over to wake the younger boy up. "Absolutely horrifying. Idate had to beg him to wash his face for an entire week because he kept on scaring off all the customers."

Kotetsu grabbed the sleepy boy by the back of his shirt and dragged him over to Sakura. "This lazy good for nothing doesn't do anything but sleep all day. He might as well make himself useful by driving you to Idate's house."

"Huh?" The boy sleepily said, rubbing his eyes. His eyes settled on the pink haired girl. "Hey, I don't remember signing up to be a high school girl's personal driver when I got this job."

"And we don't remember hiring you to just sleep all day." Izumo said, rolling his eyes.

Kankuro's eyes widened as his sight cleared. He gave her an appreciative nod as he carefully observed her figure. "So, where are we going?" He casually asked, sneaking a hand over her shoulders. "Back to my place or yours?"

"I think I'll be fine on my own." Sakura dryly replied, pushing his arm away as if it was infected. "I'll be back soon, Izumo-san, Kotetsu-san. Thank you for everything!" With a wave, she disappeared back into the outside world.

Izumo smacked himself on the forehead. "Can you learn to do something right for once?" He shot at the guilty sandy haired boy named Kankuro. "Quick, go follow her before she gets too far. That kid has a knack for getting herself into trouble wherever she goes."

Kankuro straightened up and ran out the door, wincing as the rain pelted down onto his body. "Hey, hey! I was just kidding back there, you didn't have to take it so seriously!" He called, quickly running to where she was. "What's your name?" He asked her when he caught up.

"Haruno Sakura." She stiffly answered.

"I'm Kankuro." He introduced himself, giving her a grin. "Well then, stop being so sulky and come with me to the parking lot. We can take my truck- I'll drive you to the boss' house." He motioned her to follow him. After giving him a suspicious glance, she followed after him.

"This is my baby." Kankuro proudly said, stroking the dark purple monster truck covered in bright red flames. She looked up in awe at the huge vehicle, her jaw dropping open. "Fully customized by yours truly." He added with a wink. She wordlessly climbed into the truck as he opened the door for her.

She had to admit, she felt a bit out of place wearing her neat school uniform in the messy punked up truck. She winced at the vast array of adult magazines and cigarette butts littering the floor. She almost gagged on the strong stench of smoke and beer mixed together.

"You might want to put your seatbelt on." He told her, lighting up a cigarette in his mouth as he started up the engine. The truck came alive with a loud roar. "I drive a bit fast- but I'm good at it, so try not to wet yourself while we make way to boss' house." He warned her with a playful grin on his face. She tightly grabbed the armrest as he zoomed through the street.

Her eyes were still squeezed shut when the truck abruptly came to a stop.

"Hey Pinky, stop zoning out and hand me my wallet." Kankuro told her, as she opened an eye. "It's in the glove compartment in front of you. We're stopping to get a hamburger, d'you want one as well?" He asked her, as she rummaged around for his wallet. She vehemently shook her head- she had a feeling that she would be throwing up all over the place if she accepted it. They were waiting at a drive-in fast food joint. "Hand me ten bucks." He ordered, and she opened it, to find it surprisingly full of money. She pulled out a ten dollar bill and handed it to him, as he leaned out the window to order his food.

A picture stuck in his wallet caught her eye as she started to put it back. Curiously, she opened the wallet again to get a better look at the photograph.

It was the same framed photograph that Gaara kept on his desk- the one with the tall blond haired girl and the boy with strange markings on his face.

That's when it hit her-

_Kankuro _was the stout boy standing to Gaara's left with the strange dark purple markings on his face. She hadn't recognized him at first- he looked extremely different when his face was clean. Still, the similarties were slightly visible.

"Did anyone ever tell you that it's rude to snoop around in other people's things?" He dryly told her, snatching the wallet back from her. He stuffed the change back in and shoved it into his pocket.

"Isn't that Gaara?" She blurted out, and amusedly watched as Kankuro's face nearly turned purple.

"I knew I recognized you from somewhere!" He exclaimed, almost accusingly. "You're Gaara's ex-girlfriend! The weird girl with natural pink hair! You lived in my house for months!" Her eyes widened in surprise at his statement.

"You thought my hair was dyed up until now?" She asked in disbelief.

"Well it's not normal for someone to have naturally pink hair. Of course I thought it was dyed!" Kankuro shook his head. "But damn, it's been _years_! Like what- four to five years? I still remember when you'd come over to our house and hang out with Gaara and his buddy, the guy with bushy eyebrows. How's he doing, by the way?"

"I wouldn't know." Sakura bitterly replied. "I was in a car crash three years ago and I lost my memory. I have no idea of who you are, but it seems like I can't say the same for you."

Kankuro shrugged. "How could I forget? You were the only person my little brother's ever showed any interest in, and he made it explicitly clear to me at least twice a day to stay away from you." He smirked at her. "I must say, you grew up to be a fine lady. I almost didn't recognize you for a moment there."

She ignored his blatant attempts at flirting. "It's hard for me to imagine dating him in the past. He doesn't seem the type to be romantically involved with people." She said, frowning.

"I see my little brother hasn't changed at all." Kankuro said with a chuckle. "It's been four years since I last saw him." He looked slightly wistful. "He left home and never came back again." His face turned serious again. "As for your relationship, I wouldn't know how to exactly describe it. It can't exactly be called a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. It was somehow different, and went much deeper than that."

"That doesn't make much sense." Sakura remarked, looking confused.

"Like I said, it's hard for me to describe it." He said, scratching his cheek. "You weren't exactly lovers. Of course, that was your title, but like you previously mentioned, Gaara isn't the type of person to fall in love with someone. It wasn't the romantic kind of relationship, with dates, hugs and kisses- but it was one in which you always stayed by his side, caring for him when he most needed it. I think that in his own way, Gaara _did _fall in love with you."

They sat in silence for a full minute, as Sakura pondered over his words.

"We should go now." She murmured, not looking up. She didn't know why, but she was actually feeling guilty. She had seen the look in Gaara's eyes, and more than anyone else, she understood the meaning of needing someone by your side. She knew that feeling of darkness that came when you were alone. Idate had saved her when she had been falling- perhaps in the past, she had done the same for the red head.

"Yeah." Kankuro quickly agreed, and the truck started to move again. "So why are we going to the boss' house?" He curiously asked, changing the subject of their heavy conversation. "Are you his younger sister or something?"

"We're on our way to my _boyfriend's_ house because he missed work today." She told him, smirking at his surprised look.

"Isn't he a bit too old for you?" Kankuro raised an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes- she was briefly reminded of the similar conversation that had gone down with Naruto during the previous night.

"None of your business," She snapped.

"Oh, I see how it is." He muttered with a nod. "I give you trouble and you report me to the boss, is that it? All right then princess, I'll bring you to Prince Charming's house safe and sound." He mock-saluted her and sped up.

Within five minutes, Kankuro was swiftly parking his bright purple monster truck in a spot in front of Idate's apartment building. However, her relief of having arrived safe and sound was short lived- the feeling of dread that had been settling in her stomach all morning was getting stronger.

"You alright?" Kankuro asked her with a concerned look on his face, as she stumbled over her own feet while getting out of the truck. "Did I drive too fast?"

"No, it's not because of your driving." She murmured, supporting herself on the side of his vehicle. "I... I haven't been feeling well all morning." She stammered. Kankuro walked over to where she was standing, and supported her as she dizzily walked forwards.

"You should worry about yourself before worrying about the boss." He scolded her, leading her towards the elevator. "You look terrible."

It was the second time that day that someone told her she looked terrible. However, when she took a look at herself in the mirror inside the elevator, she could understand why. Her face was pale- and it wasn't that milky shade of porcelain white either. It was a color of sickly pale white, that made her skin look taunt. The heavy bags around her eyes were dark and big, almost looking like her make-up had smudged. Her usually vibrant pink hair was dull and flat.

She let out a weak sigh as she pushed the button to the fourth floor. She leaned against the cold elevator walls and watched the doors slide shut as they jolted upwards.

The feeling in the pit of her stomach was growing stronger and stronger. It had worsened to the point in which her head felt like it was being split open and the dizziness was overwhelming her. Her legs felt weak and it almost hurt to move every muscle in her body. Even though she had previously experienced something of the sort, it hadn't been nearly this bad with Sasori. This was just a whole new experience.

When the elevator doors slid open again, it took every ounce of her strength for her to make her way towards the familiar door. She had to stop halfway through, and Kankuro had to come back to hold her up again.

Kankuro loudly pounded on the door. "Boss!" He called out. "Sakura-san is here to see you! Open up!"

There was no answer.

Sakura clutched at his shirt. "I have a bad feeling about this." She whispered, her voice failing her.

He nodded, gently pushing her to the side. "Stay back." He warned her, and after taking a deep breath, he kicked down the door. The lights were off, and the shutters were tightly closed shut. The house was completely pitch black. "Stay right behind me." He told her in a low voice, holding her arm. They silently walked into the darkness, both overcome by fear. it didn't take having Sakura's powers for a person to realize that something was extremely wrong.

Sakura was shakingly violently by now. It was as if her powers could predict things.

"The lights." Her whisper was barely audible, even in the silence.

"H-huh? Oh yeah." Kankuro nervously replied, and blindly searched the wall for a switch. He felt relief flood his body when his fingers found a light switch. "Got it." He mumbled, and with a flick of his fingers, the light was switched on.

The sight in front of them made her gasp in horror.

Hanging from the ceiling lamp by a rope tied tightly around the neck, the bloody body of Morino Idate lifelessly swayed back and forth.

A small note was attached to his body.

_Love is weakness. _

_I will crush you. _

She fainted.

.

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* * *

.

.

_Darling don't you lie, lie to me, _

_I wanna break into your heart_

_To see why you want us to part,_

_Oh, I'm scared to death_

_To find out what you think of me._

.

.

**A/N: Make an author happy and review! :)**


	7. cheated hearts

**.**

**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED**

**stfuSPARKS**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the song 'Cheated Hearts' by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs :)._

* * *

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**VII.**

**Cheated Hearts **

"_Cheated by, the opposite of love, _

_Held on high from up, up, up above." _

_._

_._

_._

"Sakura-chan?"

She thought she heard someone calling her name, but she couldn't be sure. She felt so dizzy right now... so tired. All she wanted to do was to drift back into unconsciousness and rest for a long time. It felt nice, for once. She felt relaxed.

"Sakura, wake up damnit!" Another familiar voice called out to her, but she didn't even stir. She didn't have the strength to do it.

_No. _

She could hear voices coming from somewhere in the room, but she didn't want to open her eyes just yet. Someone was shaking her quite violently now.

"Leave me alone." She groaned, cracking one eye open to be met with the blinding light that was coming from the ceiling. "I'm not a bloody doll you can toss around." Her eyesight slowly adjusted to her bright surroundings. She could barely make out the form of Uchiha Sasuke hovering over her.

"See dobe? I told you she'd wake up if we did it the hard way."

Naruto snorted. "You have no manners at all, teme! That's no proper way to treat a lady."

"You're hardly the right person to lecture me about manners." Sasuke scoffed, looking affronted. "Living with you would be at least five times more bearable if you actually learned to chew your food before speaking at mealtimes."

"And while you're at it, you could learn to not leave your underwear lying around- OW! What was that for?" Kiba's voice was a little too loud for her to withstand right now.

"You guys are noisy." Neji's voice interrupted them.

Sakura blinked a couple of times. "Where am I?" She asked, feeling extremely disoriented. "I feel like crap." She added with a wince, trying to sit up. Naruto immediately rushed to her side, gently putting a hand on her shoulder.

"You're in the hospital, Sakura-chan." Naruto carefully explained. "How are you feeling? Do you feel faint in any way? Does your head feel light? Are your muslces shaky?" She felt her head spin once more as the boisterous blonde bombarded her with various questions.

"Still dizzy." She confessed with a small nod. "But apart from that, I feel fine." She looked around in confusion, eyeing their faces. "Why am I here? What happened?"

An older looking sandy haired boy stepped forwards. "You fainted after we visited boss' house." He said, pointing at himself. "I'm Kankuro- remember me?"

Sakura squinted, carefully observing him.

Her eyes suddenly widened as it all hit her again.

_The body._

_The rope. _

_Ceiling. _

_Idate._

_Love. _

_Is._

_Weakness._

Sakura let out a shriek, making everyone in the room jump at her sudden reaction. She shakily sat up and brought her knees to her chest, her wide pale green eyes staring back at them in fear. She could vaguely hear someone telling her to calm down- was it Naruto? His voice was soothing, relaxing. But she really didn't care anymore- she was too paralyzed by fear.

"Idate."

The name of the man who had saved her life slipped past her lips, a mere whisper in the chaotic room. The face of the man she had wanted to love so desperately flashed right before her eyes. She could still remember the first time she had met him- how his clear sky blue eyes had looked upon her so kindly, how his words had been so gentle.

_"Who are you?" _

_Her green eyes were dark. Suspicious. Lifeless. They narrowed down into an unhappy glare as she turned away from him, looking at the horrible, suffocating hospital walls. _

_He repeated his statement, his smile unwavering. _

_"You have a beautiful smile." _

_She almost snorted at his statement. Didn't he know how clichè he sounded? Didn't he know that those kinds of lines didn't work on her? Oh well, it didn't really matter anyways. It's not like she was ever going to see this man again. She ignored his words and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. Maybe he would leave now._

_"I've seen you smile before, with that black haired boy. It's rare, but when you do, it's lovely." He took a seat next to her bed, unfazed by her clear distate for him. "Is he your boyfriend?" _

_Her sleeping facade was immediately broken as she choked on her own spit. "N-no." She coughed out. "He says he's my friend or something." She bit out. The man evidently noticed the way in which her eyes slightly saddened. "But I have no idea of who he is to me." _

_She stole a glance at him as realization flooded through him. "Did you lose your memory in an accident or something?" He asked her gently, his eyes softening._

_She didn't say anything, but her fists clenched in her lap. He stared at the little girl who was trying to stay strong for herself- she couldn't be strong for anyone else, because she didn't _have_ anyone else anymore._

_"Your hair is very unique." He complimented her. "I've never seen anyone with pink hair before. I bet you're just as unique as well." _

_She brought a hand up to her head and slowly touched her short, cropped locks. "This..." She whispered. "This doesn't feel right. The length doesn't feel right. I can't remember anything but it's just not right." He could see the tears quickly welling up in her eyes. He was suddenly overcome with the urge to touch her hand, give her a hug- anything that would let her know that she wasn't alone. _

_"I'm Morino Idate." He gave her a warm smile._

_She wasn't alone anymore._

"Sakura." Sasuke's voice pulled her out of her thoughts of the past. "Let's bargain. We'll give you answers if you calm down." He told her flatly. She whimpered once again, wincing as Naruto tried to reach out to her again. However she quieted down, looking up at Sasuke, waiting for his explanation. "Morino Idate was murdered this morning." He told her blankly. It was impossible to read his emotions.

Naruto hissed. "You could be softer about it." He whispered, elbowing the Uchiha in the stomach. Sasuke grunted, glaring at his best friend.

Sakura's shoulders started to shake, as her fists clenched once again. "Sai." She whispered, her pale eyes looking scared. "Where's Sai? Please, I need him here right now."

Despite the fact that she knew all of the boys in the room, they all felt like strangers to her right now. She hadn't known them for more than a couple of days- they could never compare to Sai, who had known her before the accident. Sai, who stuck by her side no matter what. Sai, who knew Idate. Sai, her best friend.

She _needed _him.

"Sakura-chan, Sai is on his way." Naruto told her gently. "Please calm down Sakura-chan, you're going through shock." He soothingly rubbed her back.

The tears welling up in her eyes slowly spilled over. "Not Sai." She contradicted her previous statement, confusing Naruto. "I want Idate. Bring him here."

Naruto whirled around to shoot a bewildered look towards Kankuro. "Sakura-chan's starting to go into shock- how bad was the sight?" He barked immediately, his blue eyes sparkling with concern.

Kankuro grimaced, remembering the scene from that morning. "Don't even remind me." He said, frowning. "It was really bad. Like, gory horror-movie bad. I don't blame her for being so messed up over this- I would be the same if someone I knew ended up like that."

"Do you think she's going to have to go see a psychologist after this?" Naruto nervously asked, looking straight at Sasuke.

"Do I look like a doctor to you?" Sasuke retorted with a scowl. "How the hell should I know?"

"Sorry to interrupt." A doctor poked his head through the door. He walked in, straightening up. Sakura was too busy being lost in her thoughts to notice him. "I'm the doctor who checked Haruno Sakura in." He shot a pitying glance at the girl. "I just heard the details of Morino Idate's death from our mortician." He motioned for them to lean in, which Naruto promptly did. "He was long dead before he was hanged. He was stabbed three times- the stab in his abdomen was so deep that it seems like his inner organs were spilling out." He murmured, making sure that the pink haired girl didn't overhear.

"Poor Sakura-chan." Naruto sadly said.

"The police would like to talk to the witnessess once things calm down." The doctor said.

"We'll have her down as soon as she's better." Naruto uneasily said, secretly wondering when that would ever be. "She seems to be... mentally unstable right now."

The doctor nodded. "Perfectly understandable. Depending on her character, it may take a while for her to recover." He looked through a couple of notes on his clipboard. "Well our general examination indicates that there's nothing physically wrong with her. We'd still like to keep her here overnight, just in case. I'll be in my office, so if you need something later on, just call for a nurse and she'll come get me." With a polite bow, the doctor left.

Naruto looked towards three of his partners, the ones who had stayed quiet the whole time.

Kiba was trying to look highly disinterested in the entire situtation- but despite his past declarations of dislike for the pink haired girl, Naruto knew that he wasn't as heartless as he tried to make himself out to be. If anything, Kiba was the most emotional person in the group after Naruto. There was no way that this wasn't affecting him.

Shikamaru was supposed to be the genius of the team. If he was to follow stereotypes, he would have to be the typical cold, unfeeling master strategist- but deep down everyone knew he wasn't. As much as he tried to be, he couldn't, because researching backgrounds, planning around the life around someone- it wasn't all as easy as it looked. It required for him to reach a personal level that none of the others had to; and it always made it a lot harder.

Neji was the hardest to read. His crystal white eyes were always carefuly blank, never betraying any of the Hyuuga's emotions. He was supposed to be their leader, the one who was supposed to bring the team closer to accomplishing the mission with every step he took. If the rest of his team failed to do it, he was the one who was expected to finish it. But it was different this time around. Extremely different.

"Don't bring Sai." Sakura wailed, gaining everyone's attention once again. She buried her head in her arms. "Sai... he'll kill me. I'm innocent, I swear! I didn't do anything wrong, so please don't kill me..." Tears quickly slid down her cheeks.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, shaking her shoulders. "I- I don't understand."

"She's going through a nervous breakdown." Neji finally spoke up, observing the girl.

"No, no, no!" The pink haired girl cried loudly. "Don't bring him here! He hates Sakura... it's all his fault! It was never an accident! He wants me to forget, he wants Sakura to forget! He's trying to protect the secret..." The boys turned quiet at her cryptic words.

Her startled apple green orbs snapped up to look at Sasuke as he grabbed her by the arm. "Snap out of it, Sakura." He told her sternly, giving her a rough shake. "You're stronger than this- if anyone can get through something like this, it's you."

"Sasuke..." Her voice was a mere murmur. "He's going to kill me."

The door slammed open, revealing a dishelveled looking black haired boy standing at the doorway. His eyes widened when they landed on his best friend curled up on the bed by the window.

"Sakura." Sai said blankly, rushing over to her. He knocked Sasuke's hand out of the way. "Sakura, I heard about what happened. I- I don't know what to say..." It was the first time Sasuke had seen the other boy so open with his emotions. Granted it wasn't much, it was still a huge step forwards from his obviously fake smiles and carefully planned out comebacks.

"She's not going to answer you right now." Sasuke told him coldly, visibly annoyed at being knocked to the side. "She's going through a mental breakdown or something." The Uchiha's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "She's been saying things about you as well."

There was something extremely satisfying about seeing Sai freeze at his words.

"Sai..." The said boy's head snapped around to look at the source of the voice. Sakura looked up at him, her eyes glazed over.

_You tried to kill me. _

Her eyes weren't crazed anymore- they were clear with understanding. Her heavy breathing had died down, and the delirious look on her face was gone.

She remembered everything.

.

.

* * *

.

.

_For as long as I could remember, I had no parents. _

_I couldn't remember them- I had no recollection of being held in my mother's loving embrace or my father's warm arms. I was on my own right from the beginning. That's when I realized over time, that I didn't need anyone else. I could survive in this world alone. Some people say that's impossible to survive on your own, but I knew better. _

_It's easy to survive on your own if you were alone from the start. _

_I was raised in a quaint little orphanage on the corner of a dreary street in Konoha. For as long as I could remember, I was just another child among countless others who had no family. The nuns tried their best to raise us, but I knew it was difficult for them. We were all starving for love, and they didn't have enough to go around. However, I didn't need their love. I didn't need a family either. I didn't want to impress the families that came to see us. It was useless to get attached. _

_I was always a recluse, even as a child. I didn't want to have friends- they always left in the end anyways. It was fine because the other children didn't like me much either. During my younger years, I remember being bullied numerous times. I remember once, some kid stuck bubblegum in my hair as a joke. I had to cut more than half of my hair off- I spent the entire afternoon wishing him harm. That same kid fell off the second floor the next day, breaking his hand in the process. I wasn't even near him when he did, but the other children didn't bother me after that. The nuns kept their distance too. _

_"She's the demon's offspring." I once heard them whisper among themselves. "We can't keep her here." _

_I didn't need them anyways. I left them before they had a chance to leave me first. _

_I was no older than twelve when I left the orphanage, and thrust myself into the cruel, cold world. _

_I was fine with that._

_._

_._

_I saw him for the first time when I was thirteen years old. _

_I can remember it now. There was a small children's playground that I always walked by on the way to the bus stop. It was always empty though- the children had all abandoned it for bigger and better things, and somehow I could sympathize with that concept._

_And that's where I saw him for the first time._

_He was sitting in the sandbox, staring straight at me. He had beautiful flaming red hair that stood out among the faded paint of the playground, and a pair of beautiful green eyes that were simliar to my own. But they were darker- deeper. It was hard for me to take my eyes off of him, so I stared back. There was something about the dark aura surrounding him that pulled me in. _

_He just looked so lonely. His blank face betrayed nothing, but I could tell. I guess broken people could learn to recognize each other after all. _

_Before I realized it, my feet were automatically taking me towards him._

_"I'm Sakura." _

_My throat was dry and my voice wasn't nearly as confident as I would've liked it to be. I almost didn't expect him to answer me- after all, who the hell would talk to a stranger who randomly walks up to them in the middle of an abandoned playground? I was ready to ignore my little outburst and walk away. _

_"Gaara." _

_His voice was deep, despite the fact that he probably wasn't much older than me. I couldn't help but smile at his response. _

_He was broken, cracked, flawed. _

_But I reached out to him._

_I would fix him. _

_Maybe I didn't have to be alone after all. _

_._

_._

_One of the first things that I realized about Gaara was that he would never tell me why he was broken. _

_No matter how hard I'd try, no matter how close I'd get to him, he would never tell me. I didn't mind though- I wasn't there to find out about his life story, I was only there to help him start over. To help him realize that he still had a chance at being human. _

_Gaara was cold, uncaring and untalkative. It wasn't only with me though- it was with the whole world too. I remember meeting his family for the first time a few weeks after I met him. I never had the chance to meet his parents- I'm not sure if he even had any, but I got to meet his brother and sister. I saw the way in which they stared at them in fear, and I wasn't sure if I should've pitied him or them. _

_Though he would never, ever show anyone the real him, I knew. He still had a chance at recovering his humanity, and I would stick by his side along the entire journey._

_Some people might wonder why I even bothered to help him. Did I even have anything to gain? Maybe I was just wasting my time. Now that I think back on it, at the time I probably didn't even know why I was doing it. Maybe I was doing it for myself in the end. Because somewhere along the way, I lost my humanity as well, without realizing it. Maybe I was trying to prove I could still be human too- I still quite don't know. _

_But one thing was for sure- we could both fix each other. _

_I remember the sky turning dark as I got up, ready to leave his house to find whatever shelter I could for the night. _

_He grabbed my hand. _

_"You can stay." _

_And slowly, Gaara opened himself up to me. _

_._

_._

_Kankuro was probably right. _

_Gaara would probably never know how to love someone in the way normal people do. He would never know the pleaure of physical contact, the happiness that came with holding another person's hand, leaning into someone's hug, to brush your lips with someone else's. He would never understand. _

_But in his own eccentric way, Gaara gradually fell in love with me. _

_His definition of love wasn't the same as everyone else's. To him, love wasn't a romantic accomplishment of happily ever after. To him, love meant having someone stick by your side no matter what happened. It meant having someone fix you, time and time again no matter how many times you broke._

_"I love you."_

_His face was unreadable and his jade were blank. His words were slow and steady, but his voice didn't waver as those three words reached my ears. _

_That's when I realized it for the first time. In my own strange way, I unconsciously fell in love with Gaara somewhere along the way. _

_"Gaara, you don't know what love is." My voice was nowhere as determined as his, and for some strange reason I could feel my chest constrict. Maybe it was because deep inside I knew that he would never love me in the same way I loved him. "Youre getting confused. You can't say those words so casually." _

_"I can't live without you by my side." He paused. "Isn't that the definition of love?" _

_No, I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell him- love is so much more than that. It goes beyond not being able to live without a certain person by your side. You can't live without me because I'm there to constantly fix you. You can't live without me because you've never had anyone else by your side. You can't live without me because I love you in my own strange way. _

_He loved me because he couldn't live without me. _

_I couldn't live without him because I loved him. _

_But I didn't say anything. It was okay. It was fine. _

_We could live by each other's sides, loving each other in our own dysfunctional way. _

_._

_._

_A little more than a year later, I noticed that Gaara was slowly slipping out of my grasp. _

_He was becoming distant. He would spend his time with other boys that he called his 'friends'- but I knew better. They were no more his friends than I was his lover. He never bothered to tell me their names. He didn't tell who they were, what they were like- and a part of me knew that he didn't know himself. _

_I grew bitter. Lonely. _

_That's when Rock Lee entered my life._

_It was bound to happen sooner or later. It was a cold December morning when Rock Lee came knocking around Gaara's house. Gaara wasn't home. I knew because I was there- I'd been waiting all night- hoping that he would come back. But once again, he didn't. I swung the door open, a part of me hoping to see that red hair that I had grown accustomed to; but the more realistic part of me knew that it wasn't him. Gaara's knock wasn't so light, so polite. _

_I suspiciously stuck my head out the door. _

_"Who are you?" _

_He was the type of person that I hated the most. He was the kind of guy who was oblivious to the world- the happy-go-lucky kind of guy who didn't know how the world worked. He wasn't the one who had to steal from others at the age of thirteen to earn enough money to feed himself once a day. He wasn't the one who had to spent cold nights under bridges and rivers. He knew nothing of the hardships of this world. _

_"I'm Rock Lee." His grin was wide. "I'm Gaara's friend! I was wondering if he was home." _

_So maybe Gaara did have friends after all. _

_"He's not here." I started to close the door in his face. "I'll tell him you stopped by."_

_When the boy returned for the fourth time that week, I was wondering if he was stubborn or just plain stupid. _

_"I told you, Gaara isn't here." My patience was starting to wear thin. "Listen, I'll tell Gaara to come find you when he comes back, so you should probably stop coming by the house." I had to stop myself from being especially rude. He might have really been Gaara's friend, and I didn't want to scare away the rare people that actually did like him. _

_The boy's smile slowly disappeared for the first time, and for the first time I thought that maybe he wasn't the happy-go-lucky guy I thought him to be. "I'll be honest with you." He said hesitantly, lowering his eyes. "I did come to see Gaara four days ago. But the every other day, I just used that excuse to come see you." _

_I could feel my jaw drop. "Excuse me?" _

_His cheeks burned red. "I mean- I think you're very beautiful!" I could swear his round eyes sparkled as he looked up into my own. "I couldn't help it- there was something that called me back to you, Sakura-san. I think you and I were meant to be connected in some way." _

_"How do you know my name?" I was immediately on my guard. _

_"Gaara rarely talks to us." His smile softened. Us? Who was 'us'? "But he's mentioned you once or twice. You must be his girlfriend- he said that there is only one person who matters to him, Haruno Sakura-san, and that is you. It is hard to mistake you- your beauty certainly does match your youthful name." He blushed again. "You have been one of the biggest subjects of our discussions. Everyone is surprised that Gaara has a lover." Again with that 'us'._

_No, I wanted to tell him. I wasn't his girlfriend. I wasn't his lover. This boy in front of me- Rock Lee- he didn't know that Gaara was unable to love. He didn't know that Gaara was mistaking love for need. What Gaara felt for me- it wasn't love._

_But I simply gave him a small smile of my own. _

_"Gaara and I are very important to each other." I didn't acknowledge nor deny his statement. _

_Lee simply nodded. "I just wanted to see you in person- the woman who changed Gaara's life." _

_I felt a certain warmth rush through my body._

_"Do you want to come in for a cup of tea?" _

_._

_._

_A year later, I turned fifteen. _

_Gaara was more distant than ever- Lee had stepped in to somehow fill in for him. It wasn't the same as having Gaara by my side- but not in a bad way. It seemed like this time around, I was the one being fixed. Lee was the one who wanted to fix me. _

_For the first time in my life, I learned what it was like to have a friend. _

_Gaara couldn't exactly be called a friend. He was the man I loved, but we would never be friends. Not in the way I wanted us to be. _

_But Lee- he was everything I had always imagined in a friend. He was open, caring, and was always interested in anything I had to say to him. He knew how to give me advice, and he knew when to just go along with small talk. Despite his eccentric appearance (hey, who was I to criticize?) and his over-affectionate behavior, I still found him endearing. _

_"I love you." _

_He caught me off-guard. It wasn't the same kind of 'I love you' that I had received from Gaara. No- this was the confession that I had always wanted to hear from Gaara, but never did. This was the love I had always dreamed of, the one with happy endings and roses and hearts. _

_But I would never be able to return his love. _

_"I'm sorry." _

_He smiled. _

_"I know." _

_._

_._

_It was cold where Gaara called me out._

_It was almost winter now- I found myself wishing that I had brought something warmer to wear with me. It was dark too- the only thing that illuminated the bridge at this time of the night was the lone lamp at the very end of the street. _

_Why was I here? Why did Gaara have to talk to me at some abandoned bridge in the middle of nowhere? Why couldn't he just come home? _

_A million questions raced through my mind as I shivered, shoving my hands deep into my pockets. _

_He was late. _

_Was he not coming after all? _

_"Sakura-san!" _

_My head snapped up as I heard a familiar voice. From the edge of the bridge, I could barely make out Lee's trademark green jumpsuit as he ran towards me at full speed. Was it even humanly possible for someone to be so fast? Confusion overcame me as he grew closer- I could now see the fear written all across his face. _

_"It's a trap! He tricked you! YOU HAVE TO RUN!"_

_Inexplicable fear filled me as I heard him shout out those last words. I had never heard Lee sound so... scared. He had always been the cheerful one, the one to assure me that everything was always going to be okay no matter what happened. This time around, it didn't sound like everything was going to be okay. _

_My eyes widened as he threw himself in front of me. I felt his strong arms wrap around me as a deafening bang came from somewhere behind him- it was the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. I felt something warm seep through my thin sweater as he held me tighter in his arms. Was that what I thought it was? My mind wasn't functioning properly- everything just seemed too surreal. _

_"Sakura-san." It was the first time I heard him sound so weak. _

_"L-Lee..." I could barely say his name properly._

_"Take this." He whispered, and weakly handed me a carefully folded sheet of paper. "Please forgive me Sakura-san. I never meant to hurt you." His eyes were slowly sliding shut, and I felt despair fill every inch of my body as I desperately tried to support his figure with my weak arms. He felt heavy. _

_"What are you talking about Lee?" I finally found my voice. "Stick with me, you'll be fine. You're the one who always told me things would be fine if we wanted them to be, remember?" My voice shook as I tried to comfort him. I could feel the warmth of his blood covering my hands as I desperately tried to steady him. _

_"You... have... to run..." Lee's speech was slurring. I felt his head slowly lean onto my shoulder. "Too late... for me... go... somewhere... safe..." _

_"You can't do this to me!" I heard myself scream. "You can't die on me!" _

_"RUN!" He used the last of his strength to grab onto my arm. "Sakura-san... for me. Run." I could feel my blood turn cold as his grip slowly loosened as the last of his life slowly slipped through my hands. "I love you." _

_"Thank you." I whispered, but it was too late._

_He was gone. _

_It took all my strength to let go of him and force my legs to run as fast as they could take me._

_._

_._

_I never felt so cold in my life. _

_I sat dejectedly on an abadoned bench far away from the cursed bridge, staring at the unfolded piece of paper laying in my hands. I couldn't believe what I was reading- I didn't want to believe it. For the first time in my life, I felt like the past three years had been a complete lie. _

_I stared at the seven names written down on the frail piece of paper. _

_My own name seemed to scream out at me. The other six names were hastily crossed out with a red marker- did that mean what I thought it meant? There was something scribbled at the top- some strange urban legend about seven demons. I couldn't be bothered to read into the details again- I didn't believe in crap in demons or anything supernatural. What did that even have to do with the seven names? _

_I looked dejectedly at the part I feared most. _

_"Hired assassins." I read out loud. Assassins. Wasn't this the sort of thing that only happened in action thriller movies? Why would anyone hire someone to murder me? I didn't recognize any of the other six names that were crossed out, and I wasn't sure if they were good people or not- but I was certainly sure that I never did anything to make anyone want to kill me. _

_My eyes swept over the names of the assassins in charge of the mission. _

_Hyuuge Neji._

_Uzumaki Naruto. _

_Uchiha Sasuke._

_Nara Shikamaru. _

_Inuzuka Kiba. _

_Rock Lee. _

_Sabaku no Gaara._

_I choked back my sobs as I read over the last name. _

_Gaara._

_I was right. Gaara didn't have friends. They were his partners, nothing else. What happened to him? When had he slipped through my grasp? I had tried so hard to fix him- and I thought that maybe, I had succeeded too. Had these past three years been a lie? Or was fate simply cruel to unexpectedly put us against each other? I couldn't know for sure. _

_Lee had been in this too- was this what he meant when he asked me to forgive him? I turned away from the piece of paper._

_It was just too painful. _

_There were two names listed at the bottom of the page- other names I didn't recognize. Kabuto and Sai- they were meaningless to me. Apparently they were the supervisors of this mission- it sickened me to call it a mission. To me, it was just plain murder. Had the other six victims been as innocent as I was?_

_My eyes widened as a light shined at the very end of the street. I lightly relaxed when I realized it was just a car driving through the street. I tried to calm my pounding heart down with a deep breath. I had to calm down if I wanted to make sense of this situation- one thing was sure, I couldn't go back home anymore. Gaara could've been waiting for me. _

_To kill me. _

_It was far too late when I realized that the car was headed directly at me._

.

.

_When I woke up again, I was in a hospital. _

_My eyes snapped open as I was hit by a wave of excrutiating pain. I groaned, trying to turn over to the side. My head felt like it was split open by a steel pipe- I could barely gather my thoughts together. I let out a gasp as my eyes started to burn. Grabbing my head, I knocked over a vase of flowers on the end table beside me._

_I sat up, trying to study my surroundings. I caught my reflection reflected on the window, and almost threw up. _

_My eyes were blood red. _

_I immediately panicked, gingerly touching my eyes. How was this possible? How could my eyes be red? Nothing was making sense right now. I didn't think it was possible, but my head hurt even more. I couldn't stand to look at my horrid eyes so I turned away from the window, looking towards the door. I winced as I tugged on the needle inserted into my arm. _

_My head snapped up again as the door slowly opened. _

_A handsome stranger stood at the doorway, his dull black eyes staring straight at me. I'd never seen him before- I would have certainaly remembered if I did. _

_"Aa." He said, slowly shaking his head. His flat black hair shone in the light. "This isn't good. That car crash should have killed you." He sighed, looking almost disappointed. "It seems like Neji's failure to accomplish his mission awakened something in you. You've noticed it, haven't you?" He walked closer, touching my face. His fingers slowly brushed over my eyes, staring at the color in wonder. "What an interesting creature you are, Haruno Sakura. The shade of your eyes is most peculiar." _

_I turned away in shame. _

_"It seems like it's impossible to harm you." He cocked his head to the side. I flinched as he pulled out a syringe- but I didn't have to worry, because as soon as the needle drew close to my skin, a thin red barrier immediately surrounded me, knocking it out of his hand. I gasped, as the red barrier quickly disappeared again. _

_He didn't seem the least bit fazed though- he walked over to the corner of the room and picked the syringe up again. "It seems like killing you is going to take longer than we expected." His tone was blank. _

_I blanched. Killing me? _

_"My name is Sai." He said with a smile. My brain briefly recognized his name as one of the ones on the piece of paper Lee had given me. _

_"But you won't remember that."_

_Before I could stop him, he plunged the syringe into the plastic bag hanging off of my IV drip. I could only watch in horror as the substance was pumped into my blood through the tube connected to my arm- I felt myself immediately grow dizzy. _

_Was I going to die now? _

_A part of me couldn't help but feel relieved as my world slowly turned black._

_Maybe I would finally be at peace. _

_._

_._

_I woke up with a start. _

_Who am I? _

_That was the first thought that hit my head. I panicked as people wearing white rushed in and out of my room, nervously talking to each other as my eyes blinked open. My eyes landed on the black haired boy who sat by the edge of my bed- he looked so out of place, covered in black in the blindingly white room. _

_He smiled at me. _

_"I'm Sai. You may not remember, but I used to be your best friend." _

_His smile didn't reach his eyes._

.

.

* * *

.

.

Sakura could finally remember.

It only took a moment for a lifetime of memories to come rushing back to her head. The world seemed entirely different now that she could actually remember the life she had lived before.

"Sakura-chan..."

Her head snapped towards the blonde haired boy who approached her. As she looked into his wide blue eyes, she could remember.

_Uzumaki Naruto. _

She was looking into the eyes of the man who had been hired to murder her. Why wait three years? What hadn't they acted sooner? She couldn't know for sure- but she sure as hell wasn't going to stick around them to find out.

She could finally understand why Gaara shot her. She understood why Sasuke constantly asked her questions. Why they had been following her when she had gone to fight Kin.

And Sai...

Sakura couldn't stop the overwhelming feeling of betrayal that squeezed her heart. This time, it was far worse than the time Gaara had betrayed her. Sai had been her everything after she had ended up in the hosptal. She wasn't particularily religious, but that didn't stop her from thanking god at least twice a day for having Sai. No one would ever understand the despair that came with not being able to remember an entire life.

It was true- Lee had fixed her, but what Sai had done went beyond that. He hadn't just fixed her- he made her completely new. Before meeting Gaara, she had actually been okay with being alone for the rest of her life, because that was what she had been accustomed to. However, when she woke up in the hospital room, she had been overcome by an inexplicable need to have someone by her side.

Sai had been that person for her. He had been her crutches throughout her entire recovery.

What was she supposed to think when she found out that he was one of the people trying to kill her?

"I have to go home." She whispered, hurt lacing her words. "I can't stay here."

"You can't go home yet!" Naruto interjected, looking worried. "The doctor said you have to stay overnight!"

"It's okay, I'll take her home." Sai said, stepping forward.

She frantically shook her head. "Alone. P-please don't follow me." She hastily climbed out of the bed. She reached for her sneakers sitting on the floor at the corner of the room, and quickly put them on. "I need to be alone. That includes you too Sai. Please don't come see me at home. I'm fine- really."

Sasuke roughly grabbed her arm. She flinched at his touch.

"Sakura, you're not fine."

She quickly pulled away from him. She gave him one last accusing look before rushing out of the hospital room.

"What's wrong with her now?" Naruto scratched the back of his head.

Sai's black eyes narrowed.

"I don't know either."

.

.

* * *

.

.

_Now take these rings and stow them safe away, _

_I'll wear them on another rainy day._

.

.


	8. a year from now

**.**

**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED**

**stfuSPARKS**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or 'A Year From Now by Across Five Aprils. ;)_

* * *

.

.

.

**VIII.**

**A Year From Now **

"_Complete and total adoration, _

_My gift to you, my heart was yours."_

_._

_._

_._

The pink haired girl sat on her bed in the darkness of her room, staring at nothing in particular.

Haruno Sakura was no one special. She had never strived to be anyone great in her life, and she had never wished for anything out of the ordinary. That was probably why she was currently asking herself why all of this was happening to her.

What had she done to deserve all of this?

Tears silently ran down her cheeks as she mourned the loss of everything in one day. She was living a lie- nothing in her life was real. The only thing that had been real was Idate- but that was gone too now. Her heart constricted even more as she remembered his death.

She wondered if the urban legends were actually true. Was a demon really trapped inside her body? Or maybe it was just a silly story and her powers were her own. Everything was starting to piece together though- maybe, just maybe- if she learned to control her powers, she would find a way to survive through all of this.

But at this point, she had to ask herself:

Did she even want to survive anymore?

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Well this friggin' sucks." Kiba muttered under his breath, as the five of them returned to their headquarters. "Am I the only one who thinks that Gaara's the one behind Idate's murder?" He kicked off his shoes, throwing himself onto the couch.

Shikamaru looked thoughtful. "Well it would certainly make sense if he was." He said with a nod, slightly impressed at Kiba's ability to connect the dots. "He _has _been missing since last night."

"Leave it to Gaara to be the biggest douche in the universe." Naruto groaned, slapping himself on the forehead. "I thought you told him to control his anger, Neji!"

"I did." Neji said coldly, glaring at the blond. "I already informed Orochimaru. All the evidence against him should be gone by now, so he'll be fine. You're right however- we can't continue to cause such inconveniences for our client."

"This was also Gaara's way of telling us that he's becoming impatient." Sasuke said quietly. "He wants to end this mission soon."

"Well we obviously can't do that!" Kiba burst out, looking irritated. "How the hell are we supposed to kill her when her stupid barrier seems to block out every single weapon we approach her with?" He sighed in frustration. "We're going to have to find her weakness before even we can even _hope _to kill her."

"Remember what that Kin girl said?" Shikamaru spoke up. "That barrier won't activate as long as we don't use any weapons at all."

"Are you suggesting we _beat_ the girl to death?" Naruto asked, looking absolutely horrified.

"I wasn't suggesting anything." Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes. "I was just saying we can start by working on that piece of information. We may be able to find out more."

They fell into silence once again.

"I have to go buy something." Naruto abruptly said, standing up. "Come with me, Sasuke-teme."

Sasuke's eyebrow went up. "Why the hell should I come with you, dobe? Go do your shopping on your own." The Uchiha didn't waste his time getting to the point with Naruto. The blond ignored his verbal attacks, grabbing the raven haired boy's arm and dragging him out of the door. "What the hell Naruto?" Sasuke hissed, yanking his arm away as they stumbled onto the street.

"I need to talk to you." Naruto blurted out, looking serious for once.

Sasuke sighed. "Let's not talk here. Something tells me that I'm not going to like whatever you've got to tell me." The Uchiha dragged his so called friend towards a little coffee shop on the corner of the street. He also had a feeling that he was going needs lots of coffee to sit through this. Naruto seemed to be relieved at the fact that Sasuke was actually going to listen to him for once.

When they finally took a seat and Sasuke had a cup of coffee in his hand, Naruto started to talk. "Sasuke-teme, I know you're as unemotional as my wall-" Naruto impatiently waited as Sasuke choked on his coffee in an extremely undignified manner. "But I know I can trust you. Kiba is too much of a blabbermouth and I'm afraid Shikamaru's going to be too analytical about things." He stopped to grimace. "I don't even want to think about confiding in Neji either."

"Get to your point." Sasuke snapped, trying to save the last of his dignity by quickly wiping his mouth.

"Sasuke-teme, do you find this mission difficult at all?" Naruto asked blatantly, temporarily surprising Sasuke with his honesty. "I've never had any problems with other missions before. It was always the same thing- killing our targets from far away and stuff. I never questioned why- I just figured that the target must've done something to deserve it or something. But this mission- I'm starting to wonder if we're really doing the right thing."

"We can't always do the right thing dobe."

"I know that!" Naruto was starting to sound frustrated. "But it's all getting to my head! We've never had to _befriend _the target before! I actually _like_ Sakura-chan, and it's scaring me. It makes me wonder if all my other targets so far were good people like her- maybe I just didn't know because I didn't have a chance to get to know them like we're doing with her." His cerulean blue eyes saddened. "I'm such a failure as an assassin. And I thought it was the only thing I was good at too."

Sasuke was beginning to feel uncomfortable; he wasn't good at comforting people. "Naruto, you dobe. It just means you're human." He told him. "Would you rather feel nothing at all while killing an innocent person instead of guilt?" He waited as Naruto's eyes slightly widened. "I thought so."

"I'm not sure I want to do this anymore, teme." The blonde bit his lip. "I don't know if I _can_."

"Orochimaru would never let us simply drop out." Sasuke said, frowning. "Remember what Kabuto said? There will definitely be consequences if we fail to accomplish this mission this time around."

Naruto sighed. "Would it be cowardly of me to run away from this?" His blue eyes told Sasuke that he was being brutally honest.

"I don't know, Naruto."

And for once, Uchiha Sasuke really didn't.

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Sakura? Is that you?"

The said pink haired girl jumped as she heard her name be called out from somewhere behind her. She whirled around to face her gruff, bearded homeroom teacher, Sarutobi Asuma. He took one last drag from his cigarette before throwing it to the ground, crushing it under the heel of his foot. Sakura inwardly sighed- she couldn't even go to the nearest convenience store in peace.

"Asuma-sensei." She said glumly, trying to calm herself down.

"You seem to be skipping class all too often these days." He told her disapprovingly, ruffling her short pink hair. "Is anything going on that I should know about?" She didn't miss the concerned look that flashed through his face. She felt a little grateful- it was nice to know someone still cared.

"I'm fine sensei." She muttered under her breath. "Just going through some rough times."

He clicked his tongue. "Well cheer up kid. I'm sure things are going to work out just fine."

_I really hope so. _

"Let me buy you a cup of coffee." Asuma said with a wink, gesturing towards a little coffee shop in front of them. "I was just on my way to meet an old friend."

"Oh no, I'm fine-"

"Haruno." He frowned at her, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Get your little self inside there, right now. You look like death- a cup of coffee can do wonders when you're not feeling like yourself." She had to secretly admit that a cup of steaming hot coffee sounded really inviting right now. With a final sigh, she followed the taller man through the front door into the welcoming warmth of the shop and the inviting smell of caffeine.

She followed him towards a mysterious man who was sitting at one of the tables in the corner. She mentally cringed- she had certainly learned her lesson when it came to trusting people, and this man currently sitting in front of her did not exactly look trustworthy. In fact, he was one of the most suspicious looking people she had ever seen.

First of all- he had a _mask _covering his face. Who even wore a mask in public when it wasn't Halloween? It covered half of his face, disguising his nose and mouth from view. He had a mop of silver hair at the top of his head, long enough of to hang over his left eye. One lone visible eye crinkled up into an invisible smile as the duo approached him.

"Why are you on time Kakashi?" Asuma asked him incredulously, childishly pointing his finger at the other man. "This doesn't make any sense!"

"It's been awhile Asuma." The man named Kakashi said with a hidden smile. "You're late."

"That's usually my line!" Asuma shot back, and shook his head. "Nevermind, I don't even want to know why you're on time. I met one of my students along the way, I hope you don't mind that I brought her along. She looked like she needed a cup of coffee so I thought I'd get her one." He ruffled her head once again. "This is Haruno Sakura- she's a real troublemaker but she's one of my favorite students."

"Nice to meet you, Haruno Sakura." Kakashi said with a polite nod. "I'm Hatake Kakashi- I've known Asuma since we were kids."

"So you guys are childhood friends?" Sakura asked in surprise. Somehow, she never thought of her teacher having friends.

"I don't know if I'd call him a friend." Asuma said gruffly motioning for her to take a seat. "Just some idiot who's been hanging around me for what feels like forever."

Kakashi let out a low laugh. "No need for you to be so shy of our friendship, Asuma." He said amicably, smiling at him. "I must say, if I knew that some of your students were so attractive, I would've visited your school sooner. It seems like I'll have to pay a visit sometime very soon."

Sakura blushed at his compliment.

"Kakashi!" Asuma smacked his friend on the head at his blatant attempt to seduce the pink haired girl. "Good lord, have some decency! You are twice this girl's age, have you no shame?"

The silver haired man sighed. "I was just kidding, don't get your panties in a twist."

"It feels so wrong when you hit on my student, whether it's a joke or not." Asuma said wth a groan, rubbing his temples. His expression turned serious. "Please don't do that in front of me ever again, or I'll get a heart attack." He turned towards his student. "As you may have noticed, Kakashi is the world's biggest and most idiotic pervert."

"It's okay sensei." Sakura assured him with a small smile. She quickly stood up from her seat. "Excuse me, I'll be right back. I have to use the restroom." The two men watched as she disappeared behind the doors to the women's bathroom.

Kakashi turned back towards his friend. "It's rare of you to show so much favouritism towards one student." He observed. "But something about that girl's expression tells me that she hasn't been having a good time recently."

Asuma sadly smiled. "She's always had it rough." He admitted. "I met her for the first time three years ago when she was first enrolled to our school. We were told to go easy on her because she was in a car accident, causing her temporary amnesia. Apparently she forgot everything about her life- and no one from her family visited her. I'm not even sure if she _has_ any family." He paused, looking thoughtful. "It's fortunate that she has Sai. Apparently they went to the same middle school together and he stuck by her throughout her entire recovery. Good kid."

"Sounds like a good kid indeed." Kakashi agreed with a crinkle of his eye.

"I don't know what's going on, but it seems like she's going through another rough patch." Asuma admitted, taking a sip of his coffee. "But I'm sure she'll be fine. She's always been a strong girl after all."

Sakura chose that moment to return, looking even shakier than before. It was like she had thought- she wasn't ready for this yet. She wasn't ready to face the outside world, pretending like nothing had happened. She needed time to recover- and she had to do it in the safe walls of her own room.

"Thanks for the coffee Asuma-sensei, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to take it home." She forced a smile onto her face. "I'm not feeling so well- but I promise I'll make it up to you by showing up for class starting tomorrow."

He shook his head. "If you're really not feeling that well, then take as much time off as you need. You won't be of any use to me in class if you're going to be sick." He gave her another pat on the head and shooed her away. "Now go rest. God knows you need it."

"Thanks sensei." She gave him an appreciative smile and politely bowed towards the silver haired man. "It was nice meeting you, Kakashi-san."

"The same goes to you." Kakashi said with a nod, and watched her hastily leave.

"Haruno Sakura..." He muttered under his breath.

Things were finally starting to get interesting.

.

.

* * *

.

.

Sakura's proud and tall composure dropped the minute she returned home. The headache that had been plaguing her ever since her awakening was getting worse and worse- maybe it had to do with the fact that she had gained a lifetime worth of information within a few minutes.

She didn't want to admit it- but she actually _missed _the days when she could have returned home with Sai, both casually chatting about random events about their days. When she had actually been _normal. _Well to be fair, she guessed she had never been exactly normal, but then again, normality was overrated nowadays.

Could she really believe what her mind was telling her? Everything from her so-called memories seemed to be a bit too surreal. She wasn't sure if she could really believe the whole ordeal about assassins and missions- it all seemed like a very badly scripted clichè** action movie. She couldn't be sure if her mind was just making up an alternate reality that had never happened.**

Sai had been so good to her throughout the years; it was hard for her to actually believe that he wasn't on her side. She couldn't go ask him directly- it's not like he would admit to it even if it was true.

The phone rang, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Hello?" She meekly answered into the phone.

"Sakura-chan?" A familiar voice blasted, momentarily deafening her. Her blood froze as Naruto continued to speak on the other end. "Sorry I just called- I asked Sai for your number before we left the hospital. I was just worried- you sounded so weird back there, I was sure something was wrong." He actually sounded concerned. The sincerity in his voice couldn't be faked- it made her wonder once again if her memories had just been a figment of her imagination.

"Thanks Naruto." Sakura weakly managed to say. "I just need a day at home to recover, I hope you understand. With Idate and everything..." Her throat immediately constricted as she tried to swallow the huge lump in her throat. "Anyways, Ill be fine."

"I hope you come to school tomorrow." Naruto told her, and she could almost imagine his comforting smile. "Sorry, I won't bother you anymore, Sakura-chan. Get some rest!"

"Bye Naruto."

One thing was for sure. While she couldn't fully trust her memories to be real-

She knew she couldn't trust him either.

Not yet.

.

.

* * *

.

.

There was something definitely wrong with Sakura.

Sasuke noticed it as soon as she stepped into their classroom the next morning, looking tired and restless. It wasn't that her skin was deathly pale, or that the bags under her eyes could almost match Gaara's. It wasn't that her posture was no longer so high and confident, or that her steps lacked their usual bounce either. He had been expecting her to be strange- her boyfriend had just been _murdered _after all, but something told him that it wasn't that either.

It was the way she was acting towards him.

And not only him- Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru, Neji- for god's sake, even _Sai. _

He sneaked a glance towards Naruto, who seemed to have noticed the same thing. They exchanged a knowing look and slowly made their way towards the pink haired girl.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto cautiously asked, causing her to jump in her seat. Her emerald eyes reflected fear and caution as she turned around to stare at the two boys.

"Hi Naruto." She greeted him flatly. "If you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone for today."

Sasuke was irritated. "What's wrong with you today?" He snapped, not able to reel back his anger. "You're acting weird. I know that you're going through a lot right now, but it doesn't mean that you should have to seclude yourself from the rest of the world." Naruto was the only one who would know that it was Sasuke's own strange way of telling her _we're here for you._

She didn't look up to meet his gaze.

"Sasuke, class is going to start soon." She said blankly, turning to face the window. "You should return to your seat."

That was it. He didn't know why, but it heavily aggravated him that this girl was completely ignoring his words. He was trying to help her- couldn't she see that? He wasn't quite sure at _why _he was trying to help her. She was their target- he desperately tried to convince himself that he was doing this for the good of their mission, but the excuse was starting to grow old in his head.

He grabbed her arm, noticing her flinch as soon as his skin came into contact with hers.

"Teme where are you-"

"We're going to talk." Sasuke murmured, ignoring Naruto's protests. He forcefully tugged on her arm, dragging her along with him as he walked out of the classroom. Several people turned to stare at the runaway couple as the bell rung above their heads, signaling the start of class.

Sakura tried her best to keep up with his quick pace, but she stumbled as she found herself unable to keep up with his long strides. She ungracefully stumbled over her own feet. He took her to the rooftop- it was raining, but he didn't particularily care. It was the only place where they could talk in private.

"I want you to tell me what happened at the hospital." He told her bluntly, forcing her to stare back him. "You can't lie to me." He added, as she tried to avoid his gaze. "Is it because your boyfriend died?" He didn't understand why his chest was constricting at his own words. Why did it ache when he thought about her mourning about another man?

She blinked back in surprise as tears starting to well up in her eyes.

Sakura finally realized it. She may have loved Gaara in the past, Lee had fixed her, Sai had put her together, and Idate had healed her. But for some incomprehensible reason, Sasuke was the one she so desperately wanted to trust. He had been from the very beginning- from when she had seen his deep onyx eyes for the first time. From the moment he had told her that she was normal.

The handsome young man had captivated her from the start. But it went beyond all that superficial reasoning- there it was again, her need to fix every broken thing that was thrust along her way. However this time, it wasn't just that. It felt like they were two pieces to a puzzle- for the first time ever, she felt like they could fix _each other._

She swallowed the lump in her throat, shakily making her way towards the railings at the edge of the building.

"I want to trust you, Sasuke." She whispered, closing her eyes. "But I can't. I can't trust you at all. You might turn around and stab me in the back." Her voice grew stronger now. He stood still, stunned at her words.

"Why?" He grit out.

"I am the Damned."

Her eyes narrowed.

"No one will ever be on my side."

With those last words, she jumped over the railing and disappeared from sight before he could even begin to stop her.

The words she had mouthed before jumping off remained burned into his mind.

_Do you hate me now, Sasuke? _

_._

_._

* * *

_._

_._

"She knows something."

Sasuke wasn't aware that he was thinking out loud- but when he realized it, it was too late. Neji's eyes snapped away from the newspaper in his hands to stare at the raven haired boy sitting across from him.

"What do you mean by that?" The Hyuuga cooly asked, his white eyes narrowing into a frown. "You mean she knows something about our mission?"

"Are we busted?" Naruto's eyes widened.

Sasuke sighed. "I can't be sure. I was just thinking out loud- but the body language she was displaying this morning indicated that she does't trust us anymore." He carefully chose his words. Naruto slumped against his chair, looking defeated.

"This mission is turning out to be a failure." The blonde complained, rubbing his eyes. "This sucks. Why can't we just lead normal lives for once?"

"Agreed." Shikamaru joined in on the conversation. "This is all so troublesome- sometimes I just want to quit and become a librarian. That sounds like relaxing job."

"And I can go pick up girls and go on dates." Kiba added wistfully with a sigh. "That would be like my ultimate dream come true. This job leaves us no time to actually have any social interaction- and as much as I like most of you-" He shot a glare towards Neji. "-I don't want to spend the rest of my days as a young adult with nothing but your ugly faces to surround me." He thoughtfully chewed on a piece of beef jerky. "I could be out there right now, pleasing the female population. What a waste of a handsome face." He sighed again.

Neji looked at him coldly. "Do you really think you can return to being normal?" He asked icily, his white eyes piercing into Kiba. "Do you really think you'll ever be free of the blood that stains your hands? We can't ever be normal again. We gave that up when we decided to start killing people for a living."

"Geez, you don't have to be such a downer." Kiba muttered in irritation, but he couldn't bring his eyes to meet the Hyuuga's face. "It doesn't hurt to occasionally dream."

The white eyed boy wasn't finished. "You can try to leave if you want to." He continued, with a slight air of superiority. "But don't come crying back to us when you realize that you'll never be able to be normal."

"Dude, he never said he was actually going to leave." Naruto defended his friend, looking slightly alarmed at their leader's sudden harshness. "We were just wondering what it would be like." He frowned. "What's with you anyways? You sound like you're uptight than usual."

Neji wasted no time in voicing his thoughts. "We aren't getting anywhere closer to completing this mission, that's what." He spat out, looking displeased. "Our deadline is coming up soon, and we can't mess this up this time around. It's the least can do to honor Lee's memory."

"Honor Lee's memory?" Naruto's eyes widened in outrage at his statement. "How the hell are we honoring Lee's memory by killing the woman he protected? Don't forget that Lee died while _protecting _Sakura-chan. Wouldn't his death just go to waste if we killed her?"

"I don't like her much either, but Naruto has a point." Kiba added seriously. "Lee gave up his life to protect this girl. Would we really be doing the right thing by killing her off?"

Neji was becoming more furious by the second. "You guys are all being brainwashed by her!" He snarled. "I'll admit it- she's a nice girl and everything, but we can't always save everyone! We've been given a mission and we're required to complete it. There must be a reason people want her dead- have you ever stopped to wonder what the hell she is? She's not _human!_ She's a monster disguised as a little girl- things like that shouldn't even be alive!"

Sasuke found himself growing inexplicably angry at the Hyuuga's words.

"You've seen it yourself Hyuuga." Sasuke coldly said, getting up from his seat. "She may not be normal, but she's still human. She still feels and hurts just like the rest of us." He didn't know why he was defending her- maybe it was because he knew what it felt like to not have a choice.

"I think you're the monster here." Naruto angrily said to the Hyuuga, and got up from his seat as well

Neji could only watch as the only people he considered to be family walked away from him.

.

.

* * *

.

.

"I was surprised when you asked to meet me, Sakura-san. It's been a little over two years, has it not?"

Sakura nervously fidgeted from her seat on the lavish velvet sofa. The man in front of her was exactly the same as she remembered him- tall, mysterious and perhaps a little scary too. "Aa." She replied, trying to make her voice sound confident. "I had a favor to ask of you."

It was impossible to read his emotions when his eyes were hidden behind a pair of round dark sunglasses. He politely handed her a cup of warm tea. "The last time we met, I was under the impression that you never wanted to see me again."

Sakura's cheeks burned as she was reminded of their brief encounter two years ago.

She had been on her way home with Sai one day after school when Aburame Shino randomly approached her on the street for the first time. It was safe to say that he had freaked her out with his talk about being able to help her control her powers. No one except for Sai knew about her abnormality- and he certainly wasn't the type to go talk about her powers to other people. He had given her a piece of paper with a number scribbled onto it- _"Come see me if you ever want to learn how to tame your powers." -_and had disappeared.

Sakura was never sure why she kept his number. Maybe, deep inside she had always known that a time like this would come.

"I apologize." She said sheepishly. "You just caught me off-guard back then."

He nodded at her. "Understandable." He took a sip of his own tea. "I'm going to assume something has happened to push you towards this decision."

He was smart. She had probably realized it within their first meeting- Shino was not someone normal.

"I need to know about my powers." She said, looking determined. "I need you to tell me everything you know about me and my powers. I can't be sure..." She hesitated for a moment. "...but I think I'm being targeted right now."

He stayed silent for a couple of seconds. "I knew this day would come." He said solemnly. "It was inevitable. People were bound to come after you sooner or later, especially since your powers started to manifest three years ago." She listened to him expectantly.

He took a deep breath.

"First of all Sakura-san, I have been studying you for quite some time now. You must know by now that your powers have a certain connection to the urban legend of the Damned." He paused.

She nodded. "I know. The legend about the seven demons being cast out into the world."

"You must know that the legend is somewhat true. But not in the way you may think- while your powers are definitely the ones mentioned in the legend, it is more like the legend is based on you." He explained carefully. "There was never such a thing as a war between heaven and hell- we will never even know if heaven or hell even exist. The seven demons that were cast into the world never existed to begin with- however, centuries ago there were seven humans who started to manifest extremely strange and unusual powers. Not knowing what to make of their powers, people made up the legend of the Damned to try and find some kind of basis for their abnormalities."

"So the legend is all made up?" Sakura asked incredulously. "You mean people just came up with the legend because they didn't know how else to explain our powers?"

"Precisely." Shino nodded his head. "It seems that when the host of the powers dies, the powers are reincarnated into a entirely new being. I cannot be sure of why this happens though- and perhaps we'll never know."

Her expression hardened. "You said you could help me control my powers." She said, frowning. "I need that now. If I don't learn to control my powers, I'll never be able to defend myself against the people who are after me."

"I can help you with that." Shino sounded confident.

"Why do you want to help me though?" She asked suspiciously. She couldn't be sure of who she could trust.

"Because I want to keep you alive." Shino answered her simply. "There are people who want to kill you because they fear you, and there are others who want to do so because they want to somehow take your powers for themselves. Myself, on the other hand- I find you extremely interesting, and want to keep you alive so I can continue to observe you."

Her shoulders slumped. "I guess that makes sense." She slowly looked up at him. "Were there others like me?" Her voice was quiet now.

"I cannot be sure." Shino told her truthfully. "Records of the past are never fully reliable. However, from what I have researched so far, there are exactly seven of your kind that respawn once a century." Her mind briefly flashed to the list Lee had given her in one of her flashbacks. _Six names crossed out in red..._ "But it seems to be that the six who I suspected to also be Damned are currently deceased."

Of course. She was alone.

"When I heard that you were in an accident, I knew that they were attempting to murder you as well." Shino continued. "That's why I decided to step in."

"So will you help me?" She asked him, allowing herself to feel a little bit hopeful for the first time in days.

"Yes."

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* * *

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.

"Shino-san, you don't have to walk me home." Sakura said, letting out a nervous laugh. "I'm not that helpless, y'know."

Shino glanced at her from behind his sunglasses. "You're in danger Sakura-san." He murmured. "More than you think. I was not going to get involved unless it was necessary, but now that you have asked for my help I will try my best to protect you."

"I doubt anyone's stupid enough to attack me in a place like this." She gestured around at her surroundings. The street was bustling full of people heading home after a tiring day of work. Sakura couldn't imagine anyone being dumb enough to so blatantly attack her right now.

"You shouldn't understimate your opponents." Shino's face never changed. "Everything up until now has been a warm up. They will step up their game soon- we have to be ready for them when they do."

"You sound like you're experienced with these kinds of things." Sakura said, looking at him in awe. "How are you so good at all of this?"

"I've had to face enemies in the past." Was his simple answer, and Sakura had a feeling that he would not reveal anything more. She looked up at him in surprise when he stopped in his tracks, causing her to bump into his broad back.

"...Shino-san?"

"It seems like one of your friends is here to see you."

Sakura's eyes followed Shino's gaze towards the handsome raven haired boy standing in front of them. She forgot to breathe for a second-

"Sasuke?"

"Sakura." She tried to ignore the way her name sounded so right coming from his mouth. He stepped forward until he was standing right in front of her, completely ignoring Shino's presence beside them. "That was unfair of you this morning, saying everything you had to say and leaving before I could give you an answer." She couldn't quite bring herself to look at him in the face.

"I told you, I don't trust-"

"I know what you said." Sasuke interrupted her, his face carefully blank. His obsidian eyes shifted over to the taller man next to him. "And you put your trust in people you barely know? Who is this guy Sakura? I know for sure that he isn't one of your good friends. Sai said the only friends you had were from the Akatsuki, but I know for a fact that he isn't a member."

"How would you know?" Sakura snapped, growing slightly flustered at his sudden words. "Plus, Sai doesn't know every single little detail about my life."

He frowned, slightly surprised at the fact that she hadn't found the connection yet. "Nevermind, I'm not going to tell you if you can't figure it out for yourself." He muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Anyways, I'm glad to see you're fine. I was just worried." He turned away from her, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I just want you guys to leave me alone right now." Sakura said sternly, narrowing her eyes. "I'm sorry if this is going to sound harsh, but I'm going through a rough time right now and I really don't feel like hanging out with you or Naruto."

"Classmate of yours?" Shino asked flatly. "Well if he's bothering you we can have him reported for harrassment."

"Shino-san, I really don't think that's necessary." Sakura nervously said, tugging on hiss sleeve. "Let's just leave."

Sasuke didn't follow her as she started to walk again, the mysterious man right by her side. He stood still, his dark eyes following her back as she slowly disappeared from view.

He didn't miss the way the man named Shino turned around to look at him one last time.

_I know who you are._

Sasuke's blood froze.

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* * *

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"Okay so listen Sakura-san, we're going to have to gather as many allies as we can right now. We're not going to be able to find many, but in cases like these, it's quality over quantity that counts."

Sakura's head started to ache as she tried to keep up with Shino's quick reasoning.

"And where the hell am I going to find allies at this point?" Sakura asked skeptically. Naruto, Sasuke and the rest were all obviously out of the questions. Sai was out of the picture as well- she tried to think of anyone else who could help her.

"Think, Sakura-san. Who were your allies in the past?"

Her emerald eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding." She blurted out incredulously. "If you think I'm desperate enough to go ask for their help, you're absolutely mistaken."

"They are all extremely powerful. They would make formidable allies, and they obviously are not your enemies right now."

"What makes you even think that they'll agree to help me?" Sakura scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I was the one who abandoned them. They don't forgive and forget easily- why should I be of any exception? I was lucky to leave unscathed."

Shino let out a sigh. It was rare for him to show any emotions, but Sakura could clearly see he was frustrated with her right now. "Sakura-san, there has to be a reason that they let you leave without harming you. Maybe it was because they actually considered you to be an important person to them- maybe even a friend."

Sakura spluttered. "You're kidding- we may have been partners but I wouldn't go as far as to call us _friends._" She didn't sound too convinced at her own words. "I mean... we had some great times but I _betrayed _them. If I was in their position, I would never forgive myself." Her eyes slightly saddened, remembering her days with _them_.

"We need all the help we can get right now." Shino told her, a little more sternly. "If you want to survive, you have to learn to move on and face the problems from your past. Perhaps it isn't them who can't forgive you. Maybe you just can't forgive yourself."

Sakura sighed dejectedly, as Shino handed her the phone.

"It's now or never." He told her.

She took a deep breath and dialed a number she thought she never would've called again.

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* * *

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_I wish I'd have died in your arms _

_The last time we were together,_

_So I wouldn't have to wake up without you _

_Today._

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* * *

**A/N: Make an author happy and review :3? **


	9. the remedy

**.**

**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED**

**stfuSPARKS**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or 'The Remedy' by Jason Mraz :) _

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**IX. **

**The Remedy **

"_If you've got the poison_

_Then I've got the remedy, _

_The remedy is the experience, _

_This is a dangerous liaison,"_

_._

_._

_._

"Someone answer the friggin' phone!" Deidara shouted from his room, feeling extremely irritated after hearing the phone ring over four times.

"You fucking answer it!" Someone who suspiciously sounded much like Hidan roared from somewhere else in the headquarters, sounding equally as annoyed. "Not all of us are lying on our asses being lazy all day! Some of us actually have stuff to do, you know?"

A vein throbbed on the blonde's forehead. "I'd answer it if I could, you dumbass!" He screamed back furiously. "On the contrary to your dumb opinions, I'm actually busy doing something!" He paused to look down at his incomplete clay sculpture in his hands. "I absolutely refuse to believe that no one is free to pick up the stupid phone! I know for a fact that no one has any missions today!"

No one bothered to answer him.

Ah, it was a typical day of the daily life in the Akatsuki headquarters.

Finally giving up, Deidara ripped off his rubber gloves and stormed out of his room, heading over to answer the phone sitting on an end table in the living room. He almost ripped his hair out when he saw Sasori sitting motionlessly on the couch, reading a book.

"You couldn't just reach over and answer the phone?" The blonde incredulously asked his partner.

"Hm?" Sasori looked up from his book. "Oh. I wasn't aware that the phone was ringing." He said flatly, before busying himself into the pages of his book once again. "Well you might as well answer it, now that you're here."

"How could you not hear the phone ring?" Deidara's jaw dropped open. "I could hear it all the way from my room which is on the opposite side of this house!"

Giving Sasori a dirty look, Deidara picked up the receiver. "Hello?" He snapped to whoever was on the other line. He was feeling too irritated to feel guilty for being so rude. "This better be important because you're not calling at a good time." He added, clearly not in the mood for a phone conversation right now.

_"... ah. Deidara?" _

He froze at the familiar voice on the other end of the line. It couldn't be who he thought it was- _she _would have no reason to call them. She hadn't willingly talked to them in almost a year. However, his hearing didn't lie. This was definitely the only girl he had ever considered precious to his heart.

"Sakura-chan." Deidara breathed, and this time Sasori's head quickly snapped up to look at him. "Is that you?"

There was a long pause at the other end of the line. "_Yeah, it's me. It's been awhile, I guess." _

Deidara finally gathered up the courage to answer her. "What do you want?" He sneered crudely. "I thought you didn't want to see or talk to us anymore." He could almost see her flinch. "Won't _Idate-kun _be mad if he finds out you're calling us? Or maybe even Sai won't be happy with you either. After all, they're the ones who didn't approve of you hanging out with us. We're only going to be bad influences to you." He added the last part mockingly.

_"Deidara, I didn't call to argue with you." _

"Oh well that's funny, because I can vaguely remember you punching me in the face the last time we met." Deidara replied dryly, secretly enjoying her vulnerability in this conversation. "You do realize that by doing that, you openly admitted to cutting all ties with us? The small chances of us ever being friends again flew out the window when you threw that punch."

"_I might die." _

He froze in the middle of his rant at her words. He felt his throat dry up. "What do you mean you might die?" He repeated hoarsely. "You can't die easily, you pink haired freak. I've seen you in action before, remember? You're as good as invincible with that barrier thing on you." Sasori quietly scoffed at his attempt to sound tough.

_"I don't know, but my powers are attracting all sorts of wrong attention. I need your help- or I might really die. It's just a matter of time before these people find out my weakness." _

"You can't expect us to forgive you so easily." Deidara weakly said, wishing he could sound as confident as he wanted to be. "You threw us away like trash, just because one man told you to."

_"I just wanted to live a normal life." _

"People like us can never live normal lives, Sakura-chan. You should have known that from the start." His voice was quiet this time. "Is being normal that important? I thought you were happy just being with us. None of us may be normal, but we're still a family nonetheless."

_"I dont know anymore." _There was a pause. "_Deidara, you know I wouldn't be calling you if I wasn't really in trouble." _

"Don't think you can call us whenever you're in trouble." He snapped. "We're not your objects." He slammed the receiver onto the phone, hanging up on her. He breathed heavily, trying to regain his composure. "What the hell are you staring at?" He snapped at the redhead sitting across from him.

Sasori didn't falter. "Are you sure you were being honest?" He asked blankly, tilting his head to the side. His intelligent brown eyes were calculating. "I dont think you meant any of that right now."

"Mind your own business, puppet boy." The blonde snarled viciously.

Sasori's eyes narrowed. "I am simply trying to help you out, Deidara." He said coldly, looking back at his book. "After all, you were the one who took Sakura's departure the hardest out of all of us. You were the one who could never forgive her for leaving us, while the rest of us simply understood her."

"What do you mean you understood her?" Deidara asked, glaring at him. "The rest of you were just as mad as I was!"

"Only at first." Sasori told him calmly. "But you have to understand Deidara, she was much younger than the rest of us when she was first brought in. She was only fifteen years old- she wasn't an adult like the rest of us. She was still growing up- in fact, she's still growing up now. She was at that age when she still didn't know who she was, so it was perfectly understandable for her to follow a man she loved. Perhaps we were the selfish ones, expecting her to stay with us forever."

Deidara unwillingly reflected on his partner's words. No matter how much he didnt like it, he had to admit that Sasori had a point.

"Well it's no use now." He miserably said, rubbing his temples. "You heard what I said to her over the phone. She definitely doesn't want to see me anymore now."

"I don't know what she was asking of you, but I'm sure every single one of us would be glad to help." Sasori solemly said, handing him the phone. "All it takes is another phone call, Deidara. Try not to mess it up this time."

In that moment, Deidara threw away the last of his pride and reached for the phone once more.

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* * *

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.

Sakura had actually forgotten how intimidating the Akatsuki members looked when they were all bunched together in one spot.

She uncomfortably shifted under the intense stares they were currently receiving from the people around them.

If the situation hadn't been so serious, it would almost be comical. The Akatsuki was vastly known for its extremely unique members- and each were known to be extremely dangerous in their own way. She had spent two years with these people- but they would never cease to intimidate her.

The infamous Uchiha Itachi was sitting right across from her, sitting at the center of all the powerful men, sipping on a glass of expensive wine. He was easily the most handsome member out of them all- outshining them with his long silky raven hair and pale face. Although he was much older than her, he was still appealing in his own mature way. His ruby red eyes were a different shade from her own- while hers were usually bright red and bloody, his were darker and deeper. She had to admit that they were still sexy as hell.

"I must say, I was surprised to hear that you requested us to meet us." He said in his sultry deep voice. "But it is a pleasure to see you all the same. You've grown up to be a beautiful woman."

"Woman? I see nothing but a little brat."

She turned around to glare at the person who had just insulted her. Kisame (but in her heart he would always be Fish-chan) sat to Itachi's right, viciously chewing on a piece of meat. He was easily one of their most intimidating members, with his grayish blue skin and beady black eyes. His sharpened teeth were a bonus as well. As she had expected, his faithful Samehada- a gigantic sword which he carried around with him everywhere- was strapped to his back.

"Kisame, you're always so rude." Zetsu spoke up, smiling gently at her. "You look fine, Sakura-chan." His expression suddenly morphed into a twisted sick grin. "_Perfectly delicious." _His tone of voice was suddenly much darker, almost sadistic.

Sakura shuddered, remembering how long it had taken her to get used to Zetsu's split personality. He was perhaps the person that scared her the most in the entire gang. Half of his body was painted white, while the other half was black- leading to the nicknames 'White Zetsu' and 'Black Zetsu'. They usually used 'White Zetsu' to refer to his gentle persona- the one who was kind with everyone and didn't hesitate to help a partner in need. 'Black Zetsu', on the other hand, was the crude and sick side of Zetsu, the one who was selfish, greedy and twisted.

"Was about time you fucking grew a pair of tits." Hidan vulgarly swore, shooting an appreciative look at her body. "I mean they could be bigger, but what the fuck."

Hidan's vocabulary was crude enough to make a sailor blush. His physical appearance wasn't all that bad- in fact, if Sakura didn't actually know him, she might've thought that he was actually good-looking. His slicked back silver hair was pretty silky and his dark violet eyes were extremely sultry. On the other hand, he had by far the most vulgar personality she had ever seen in a man or woman. Though sometimes it could be entertaining, most of the time he was simply annoying.

"It's no surprise you're broke all the damn time." Kakuzu glared at the silver haired man. "You waste half of your time on women. You spend the other half of your time _paying _for women."

Typical Kakuzu. The tall, broad-shouldered man had not changed at all. The dark-skinned man was as easily irritated by Hidan like she had always remembered him to be. His bright green eyes, similar to her own, narrowed down in disdain at his main partner. Kakazu had long brown hair that he always kept hidden under a white hood. The lower half of his face, on the other hand, was disguised behind a black mask. She had once seem him shirtless, and needless to say she had been highly disturbed by the endless amount of stiches that covered his body.

"Sakura-chan, it's been so long!" Tobi cried out, leaning over the table.

Tobi was perhaps the most amicable member of the Akatsuki, though was impossible to see what he was thinking under his orange wooden mask- no one had ever seen his face before. He was the youngest member (after herself), which explained his short and scrawny stature. He had a tuff of raven hair that was untamable (she had tried many times) and a childish personality that was always able to brighten her day up. However, most of the members just found him plain annoying.

"You're attracting too much attention." Sasori said tonelessly.

His face was just like a blank canvas- always expressionless. Sakura sometimes wondered if Sasori was truly capable of feeling any emotions at all, but he very rarely had moments that proved that he was human. He was very pretty- his honey brown eyes and ruffled red hair were features that were usually extremely appreciated by all kinds of women (she would never understand why). Despite his young appearance, Deidara had always hinted at the fact that Sasori was much older than he let on.

And last but least, sat the person who had been the most important to her throughout her entire stay in Akatsuki.

Deidara hadn't spoken a single word ever since they had met barely half an hour ago, and to be honest it was starting to irritate her. He simply sat in the corner furthest away from her and stared at her with those intense sky blue eyes, as if he was trying to analyze her. He hadn't changed at all- his blond hair was lovely as always, sweeping over his left eye while half of it was tied into a high ponytail. She was briefly reminded of the times in which she had tied his hair for him, jealous of the silky texture.

He was the one who had been crushed the most by her so-called 'betrayal'.

She would never forget the look in his face when she had confessed to them that she wanted to leave. He had been hurt- the thought of Idate or Sai holding more importance than him had been too much for him to handle. Spiteful words had been exchanged on the day of her departure- and their relationship had never been the same since.

"Are you really not going to talk to her at all?" Sasori murmured to the blonde sitting at his side. "You know it's now or never."

Deidara refused to answer him, taking a long sip of his own glass of wine. He felt in dire need of a smoke right now- the tension between him and the pink haired girl was suffocating.

"It's rare of you to ask for our help." Itachi said, arching a perfect eyebrow. That damned smirk would be the death of her one day.

"It wasn't my idea." Sakura mumbled, shooting a glance towards Shino as if to prove a point. "He said I had no other choice, so here I am."

Hidan smirked as well, leaning forwards. "You know if you don't want our help that's fucking fine with us." He said in a low voice. "It's not like there's a contract forcing us to help you whenever you're in trouble." She scowled at his words. "_However,_" He drawled. "If you're nice to us, we might consider it."

Sakura scoffed; there was no way she was going to fall for that. "Fat chance." She grit out. It was bad enough that she was asking for their help in general- it made her feel so _helpless_.

"Oh well." Hidan shrugged. "It was worth a try."

"Don't listen to Hidan-san! We'll help you in any way we can, Sakura-chan!" Tobi exclaimed enthusiastically, accidentally knocking over a glass of water on the table.

"Who died and made you leader?" Kisame asked the younger boy, rolling his eyes. "This isn't a decision for you to make kiddo." He could almost see the pout behind Tobi's mask.

Everyone expectantly turned to look at the older Uchiha. "This decision isn't up to me either." He slowly said, as he gaze shifted over to the end of the table. "Deidara?"

"W-what?" Deidara spluttered, caught off guard. His face immediately reddened at the sudden attention. "This has nothing to do with me, why the hell should I be the one making any decisions?" He crossed his arms and looked away from them. "I don't care either way."

"So are you saying you wouldn't care if we don't help Sakura-san?" Kakuzu immediately caught on with the drift. Deidara looked bewildered at his question- it was obvious that he hadn't been expecting anything of the sort. Deidara snuck a look at the pink haired girl, and hastily looked away when he met her gaze.

He was becoming more flustered by the second. "I don't know, decide for yourselves!"

"You and Sakura-san should make amends with each other." Zetsu kindly said. "_For fuck's sake, you're both being ridiculous." _He immediately added with a hiss.

Sakura and Deidara both pointedly ignored each other. Both weren't quite sure of how to approach the subject of their fight- it _had _been over a year ago after all. An awkward silence overcame the entire table. Shino sighed once again- he seemed to be doing a lot of that ever since he had met her. "Sakura-san, there's only so much I can do to help you." He told her.

Before either of them could realize what was happening, Kisame roughly grabbed them both by the collars of their shirts and unceremoniously dumped them onto a nearby, separate table. Sakura let out a small cry of pain as she felt her bottom collide with the chair. "You're both dense idiots." He grunted, before taking a seat again.

She whirled around to protest, only to be met with Kakuzu's menacing green eyes. "Time is money, Sakura-san, and to be frank you are wasting all of our time right now. Please do not even think about returning until you are finished discussing with the blond idiot." His voice was cold, making both of them shudder.

They awkwardly faced each other, not daring to look directly into each other's eyes.

"Ah." He said, nervously looking at his hands. He was currently wishing that the ground would swallow him whole. "It's been awhile, I guess." He mentally slapped himself for the lame remark- but he couldn't think of anything else to say in the situation right now.

"Yeah." Sakura seemed to reflect his anxiety. "Listen Deidara-" He looked at her in surprise as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "-I thought about what you said earlier over the phone- and you were completely right. I can't take advantage of you guys like this. It's unfair of me to call you whenever I need help. It was completely tactless of me."

Deidara was inwardly horrified. Did this girl actually believe his words from before? How _dense _could she be?

"Plus, I can handle myself on my own." She continued, forcing a smile onto her face at her blatant lie, hoping that he would just buy it. "I can probably kick all of their asses by myself." Even her laugh sounded strained. "Sorry for wasting your time. I'll be leaving now." She quickly stood up from her seat.

His hand shot up to grab her.

"No." He said quietly, and for the first time that day he looked straight into her eyes. "Stay."

Sakura had to swallow the lump that was rapidly forming in her throat. She wanted to cry- but this wasn't the right place or time to do so. She had to stay strong for now. Her tears could come when this was all over.

And so she sat back down and started to talk.

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_I was sixteen years old when I first joined the Akatsuki. _

_The story of how it happened is one that should be saved for another time and place. The only important part that you need to know is that it was Deidara who picked me up and saved me. Of course I had Sai- and Idate too. Yet it had been an entire year since I had been dismissed from the hospital and there was still a part of me that felt unfulfilled. _

_Maybe it was because Sai and Idate would never know the pain of being an outcast. It was easy for them, to step back and pat my back while I suffered by myself. They could sit beside me and whisper words of comfort but they would never be able to shoulder my pain with me. They had no idea what it was like to feel so tainted and cursed as I did. _

_But Deidara knew. _

_Sai picked me up. Idate gave me a push forwards. But Deidara was the one who held my hand and led me to the finish line. _

_Deidara was the one who introduced me to other people who were just as broken as I was. While Sai and Idate had busied themselves in trying to fix me and put me back together, Deidara was the one who taught me that true beauty lied within flawed things. _

_Like us. _

_He was the one who taught me that it was okay even if we weren't normal. We could survive in this world together, with each other. _

_Now that I think back on it, Idate was never too happy with me hanging out with Deidara- and deep inside, I couldn't blame him. Akatsuki never brought good news. I was mainly assigned to small and petty missions, but even those weren't exactly legal. I would never know what the bigger missions consisted of- those were mostly assigned to our strongest members, such as Itachi or Kakuzu. _

_But I couldn't leave. Even if Idate meant the world to me at the time- I just couldn't. Idate could never give me what they could. _

_Because 'they'- every single member of the Akatsuki- was just like me in a way. Of course, they didn't have my powers or anything of the sort- but that was the factor that let us understand each other the most. It was because each of us were one of a kind in this world._

_I thought we could last forever. _

_But time is cruel and it changes people. A girl at the age of sixteen going on seventeen starts to develop different needs. It is a time when her mind starts to change, starts to confuse what she has and what she really wants. While it was fun to skip school everyday and hang out with my other friends, I began feeling a bit wistful when I would walk down the street. Seeing normal high school girl wearing their uniforms, chatting among each other as they walked home from school made me realize that I was jealous. _

_I began developing a need to join that normality that I once hated so much. _

_I wanted to have a normal life. I wanted to go to high school and meet new people and grow up. I wanted to know the feeling of having to study hard for a future. I wanted to be able to bring my obento to school and eat lunch with the other students. I wanted to have a boyfriend who could walk me home and take me out to dates- but who was I kidding? Who would ever accept me for the way I was?_

_When I turned eighteen, Idate asked me to become his girlfriend._

_He was my best friend. He was more mature than any other guy I knew- I knew for a fact that he would never hurt me. I loved him as a precious person to me- but not as _the_ precious person. But who was I kidding? Idate had fallen in love with with me- for the person I was. He had accepted every single part of me, and it was more than I could ask for. _

_I could learn to love him, with time. _

_He promised me that I could be normal. But to do that, I could no longer stand beside my friends in the Akatsuki. I had to choose between being normal and an outcast- and at the time, I desperately craved to just be like everyone else. _

_To say that Deidara wasn't happy with my decision was the understatement. of the year._

_Hurtful words that we would never be able to take back were exchanged on that day. _

_"I'm leaving." _

_My voice was never as confident as I wanted it to be. I could feel myself waver for a second as his blue eyes snapped up towards me, his mouth dropping open. A look of disbelief overcame his face, as if he thought I was lying. _

_"What?" _

_"I have to leave." _

_"You can't leave." _

_We stared at each other for a second. "I can't live a normal life like this." I slowly told him. "I want to be a normal teenager. I want to experience life like everyone else, and I can't do that here." _

_"You can't leave." He repeated blankly. "This is where you belong. With us."_

_I was starting to grow frustrated. Why couldn't he see it? "Deidara, no. I'm eighteen now and I haven' done anything with my life. I want to study, go to a university, get a job and maybe even get married and start a family. How do you expect me to do any of those if I stay here with you?" _

_His jaw dropped open. His expression suddenely hardened, as he looked enraged. "It's that Idate guy, isn't it?" He hissed. "He's brainwashing you into leaving. He never liked us to begin with." _

_"Idate is my boyfriend now." I wish I could sound just a little happier. "I'm going to live a normal life with him." _

_The hurt that briefly flashed in his eyes was almost heartbreaking. "Boyfriend?" He asked. "Who are you trying to kid Sakura? You don't love that guy. Not romantically at least. I know you better than he does. Hell, maybe I know you better than Sai does. You can't fool me." _

_"I can learn, starting now." I briefly contemplated on whether I should continue or not. "He can give me what you can't." _

_How ironic. Two years ago, it was the other way around. I thought Idate was the one who couldn't give me what Deidara and the others could. _

_His lips curled back into a sneer, and I saw him change into a person I'd never seen before in my life. "Well good." He said with a sinister smirk. "Was about time. No offense Sakura-chan, but I've been waiting for you to pick up your stuff and leave for awhile now. You're too weak to catch up with us- you're only holding us back." _

_I felt my voice quiver. "Liar." I whispered, trying to stay strong. "You just told me not to leave." _

_"Isn't that what girls want?" His smirk widened. "Don't they want guys to stop them when they say they're leaving? I had to do it at least once to make you feel a little better about yourself." He paused. "After all, knowing you, you'd just beat yourself over abandoning us for your selfish needs. But hey, news flash! It's fine Sakura-chan, you're actually doing us a favor by leaving!" _

_"You're lying." _

_"No." It hurt more than it should have. "I never should have saved you that night. I would have just left you to die if I had known that you'd turn out to be so useless." _

_My blood ran cold. "That's low." I whispered. "Even for you Deidara, that's low." _

_If he was regretting his words right now, I couldn't see it. "Leave." He said, getting up and turning his back towards me. "Leave right now and never come back again. Don't ever contact us again either. Don't regret it when you wake up one day and realize it was a mistake. We won't be there for you anymore." _

_My feet started to move on their own. _

_"I hate you." _

_And as much as I wanted to turn around and say it wasn't true, I walked out of the room and never looked back at him again. _

_._

_._

_._

"Can ever ever go back to the way we were before?"

Deep inside, Sakura knew it wasn't possible. Too many hurtful words had been exchanged for them to ever go back to being the family they had been before, but that didn't mean that they couldn't try to mend the patches.

Deidara remained silent for a moment.

"You've grown." He stated, straying away from the main subject. His voice sounded strained. "It's barely been a year and you've changed so much."

"That tends to happen when a girl is in her teens, y'know?" Sakura answered with a soft smile. "And what are you talking about? I saw you the other day at the movie theater, remember?"

"You're no longer a teenager." He said, looking at her blankly. A brief image of a crying sixteen year old girl flashed through his mind. "And you cut your hair too. I've never seen you with short hair before. I thought you liked it long."

"I guess people change with time." She was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the way he was staring at her.

Deidara finally looked away, sighing. "We can never go back to the way we were before, Sakura-chan." Her heart dropped for a second. "But that's not our fault. It's because we're no longer the same people we were back then." He looked back at her again. "But that's why the me right now is telling you that I didn't mean the words I said back then."

Sakura slowly felt relief flood through her body.

"I didn't mean it either." She quickly said, rubbing away the tears that were gathering in her eyes. "I never hated you Deidara. I just didn't know how else to defend myself back then, but I never hated you." She had to take a deep breath. "You were right in the end. I can't be normal. Not the way I am right now."

"No one in this world is normal, Sakura-chan." Deidara told her. "Normal is just a concept created by mundane people."

Sakura hadn't previously been sure if she wanted to go through with this or not. Even when going to Shino, her mind hadn't completely been set on wanting to sruvive. But now, as Deidara held her hand, she finally knew that she _did _want to live.

"Deidara... can you help me?"

The tears finally spilled over.

"Do I have the right to live?"

She had almost forgotten how comforting his arms felt when he wrapped them around her.

"I'll never leave you again, Sakura-chan."

_I promise._

_._

_._

* * *

_._

_._

"It seems like Deidara's finally growing up." Itachi said with a smirk, taking another sip of his wine.

"It was about damn time." Kisame grunted, rolling his eyes. "He always gets angry at Tobi for acting like a little kid, but he doesn't realize that he's a little kid himself. He didn't realize that he was the one who pushed Pinky away from us. I don't remember ever telling her that I didn't want to see her again." He sighed, looking defeated. "People would be surprised at how human most of our members actually are."

Sasori glanced over at them, watching the blond embrace the crying pink haired girl. "They both still have a lot of growing up to do." He murmured. "But at least they look happy right now, don't they?"

"Aa." Zetsu said with a nod. "They do."

The table watched silently as the two exchanged a few more words. When Sakura had finally calmed down, they made their way back to the others.

"We're going to help her." Deidara said flatly, holding her hand. "I don't care if anyone objects. I don't care if Leader objects, I'm still going to help her."

Hidan raised an eyebrow. "Well isn't that a fucking twist." He said with an amused look on his face. "Weren't you whining about not caring if we helpd her or not barely ten minutes ago?" He teased with a wink.

Deidara flushed. "Shut up." He muttered, looking away. "So what's it going to be? Are you just going to stand by and watch as people try to murder her?"

"We were never planning to abandon her from the beginning." Kakuzu said with an irritated sigh.

"Huh?" Deidara's jaw dropped open.

"We were just waiting for you to stop being a complete idiot." Kisame muttered. "It wasn't going to work out if you were going to sit in a corner being depressed all by yourself. We were just waiting for you and Sakura to make amends with each other."

"Sakura, as much as we'd love to sit here and hear about your life during ths year, we're going to have to save that for another time." Itachi said, setting down his now empty glass. "Right now you're in trouble, and we're going to have to start planning if we want to protect you." He expectandly turned towards Shino, who nodded in return.

"Seeing that Sakura-san was in the Akatsuki for one entire year, I assume that all of you know about her strange powers-"

("Who fucking wouldn't?" Hidan snorted crudely. "Her punches hurt like a bitch. I've never seen a man or woman punch that hard in my entire life.')

"-I have been observing her for some time now-"

("Are you a stalker or something?" Deidara blurted out.)

"-And unfortunately as her powers grow stronger over time, they also gain much unwanted attention from the wrong kind of people."

("Idiots." Kisame muttered under his breath.")

"It isn't going to be as easy as you think. These people are probably professionally hired assassins of high calibre-"

("I'm sure our strength alone will suffice." Zetsu said calmly. "_We'll tear them to pieces._")

"-And since Sakura-san is obviously not going to die easily, they have probably infiltrated her surroundings, trying to see if they can gather more information about her weknesses."

("How typical." Itachi said flatly.)

"We obviously can't have any of you infiltrate her surroundings, since you're too recognizable-"

"Tobi can take his mask off if it will help Sakura-chan!" Tobi exclaimed enthuiastically.)

"-So the first step we can take is having at least two of you escort her from places."

("We have to play bodyguard?" Kakuzu asked skeptically.)

Sakura was quite amazed at how Shino did not even stop once to acknowledge them at all. She had gone to her fair share of Akatsuki meetings in the past, and knew how infuriating it could be to try and speak over the eight obnoxious men.

"In the meanwhile I will personally aid Sakura-san in trying to control her powers, so she will be able to defend herself." Shino continued. "When I am not trying to help her train, I will go undercover in attempt to unmask everyone around her." He paused, giving her a look. "We don't have enough time to explain now, but Sakura-san has regained all her memories from the past. We have our suspicions on who these people are, but we cannot be fully sure. Sakura-san's wish is that we do not attack anyone unless we are completely sure about their intentions."

Many questioning looks were sent her way when Shino mentioned that she had regained her memory. She avoided their gazes, unable to provide any answers right now. She knew that after this was all over, they were going to expect her to tell them about her entire life- Sakura's mysterious past had always been a hot topic between the members.

"Why do we have to be sure about their intentions?" Dediara shot, looking irritated. "It's not like _they're_ going to hesitate."

A brief image of Naruto and Sasuke flashed through her head. She didn't want to believe that they were trying to kill her- she didn't want to harm them until she was absolutely sure.

"Just don't, okay?" Sakura insisted. Deidara rolled his eyes, shrugging his shoulders.

"We'll head back to headquarters and split our schedules up so two of our members can be with you at all times." Itachi told her, getting up from his seat. "We should head back before we attract too much attention."

"I think it's too late for that." Kisame said, gesturing towards the people who were staring at them.

"It can't be helped." Sakura replied with a small smile. "You guys attract attention wherever you go.'

"No Pinky, _we _do." Kisame said, raising an eyebrow. "Don't forget that you were part of our weirdo group too once. Don't act like you didn't attract any attention at all with that weird pink hair of yours." His statement earned a giggle from her. "Alright, be a good girl and hurry on home. Leave the rest to us." He ruffled her hair.

The intimidating group of eight men stood up, towering over her.

"You can count us in, Sakura-chan!"

In that moment, she thought Deidara's grin had never looked more beautiful.

.

.

* * *

.

.

Sasuke sighed for the fifth time, warily glancing at the door to a certain pink haired girl's apartment.

He had been standing there for the past ten minutes, contemplating on whether to knock on the door or just leave. He wasn't even sure why he was there- but a part of him had been insecure ever since he had left her with that strange man with the dark sunglasses. The latter's words were etched into his memory-

_I know who you are._

What did he mean by that? Could it be that the mysterious man knew about Sasuke's purpose here?

"Sasuke? Is that you?"

The Uchiha jumped, whirling around to come face to face with the very person he had been thinking about. He quickly regained his composure- he was a_ professional assassin _damnit! People weren't supposed to sneak up on him so easily. Then again, she wasn't exactly the same as everyone else.

"Sakura." He said flatly, eyeing her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "I thought I told you that I wanted to be alone-"

"Sakura, you _know_." Sasuke interrupted her mid sentence. Shikamaru may have been the genius of the group, but it didn't mean that Sasuke was dumb in comparison. His intuition was sharp and quick- and in the end, it didn't take a genius to add one plus one. "You can't hide it from me anymore."

He pinned one hand on each side of her head, effectively trapping her against the wall. His tall frame towered over her tiny body- she could feel him breathe on her neck. He lowered his face down until his mouth was almost touching her ear, in almost a teasing way.

"I know you remember."

Sakura's breath was momentarily caught in her throat.

"Are you going to kill me now?" She looked up to stare at him. To his surprise, she didn't look scared at all.

He stared straight back at her, a slight smirk gracing his features. "What do you think?" He murmured, leaning forwards. "What do you think I'll do?"

She was mesmerized. His right hand moved, her eyes never leaving his movements. Her heartbeat quickened as she saw him pull out a silver revolver from his pocket. Slowly yet carefully, he raised it so that the cold metal muzzle was softly touching her temple.

His eyes widened.

"Your barrier isn't activating."

"I guess you found my weakness." She told him with a weak smile. "Congratulations, Sasuke."

He could've done it right then. All he had to do was flex his finger and she would be dead. Their mission would finally be over, and he would be able to return to his mundane life, which didn't include annoying blondes and tiny pink haired girls. He could receive his paycheck, meaning that he would be able to take an entire month off before having to go on another mission.

But those eyes.

He couldn't look away from her eyes. They were absolutely captivating.

He let out a hollow laugh, as his gun fell down to the floor with a loud clatter.

"Who am I kidding?" He said, stepping away from her. "I can't kill you."

With those words, he crushed his lips against hers.

.

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* * *

.

.

_The unavoidable kiss,_

_With the minty fresh death breath_

_Is sure to outlast this catastrophe._

.

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	10. swing life away

**.**

**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED**

**stfuSPARKS**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or 'Swing Life Away' by Rise Against ;) _

* * *

.

.

.

**X.**

**Swing Life Away **

"_Let's compare scars,_

_I'll tell you whose is worse._

_Let's unwrite these pages_

_And replace them with our own words."_

_._

_._

_._

Sakura threw her head back and let out a broken laugh.

He thought it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

"Sasuke, do you like me?"

His onyx orbs slightly widened in surprise at the honesty of her words. "Who knows." He said, with a small smirk on his face. "I'll leave that up for you to decide." One of his hands fell onto her hair to play with the delicate pink locks.

"Nothing good comes out of liking me, you know." She told him softly. "Would you still like me if I told you that I've involuntarily destroyed every single man who's fallen in love with me?" She looked away from him in shame. "It's like a curse- you'll only hurt yourself in the end. You should just walk away while you still can."

His eyes narrowed. "Do you think I'm a coward, Sakura?" His tone of voice hardened. "Do you think I'll run away because I'm scared of getting hurt?" His grip on her arm tightened. "Is that what you think of me?"

"It's not a matter of thinking you're scared or not. You're never going to be happy with me." She told him solemnly. Her green eyes looked paler than usual under the moonlight. "Is that a risk you're willing to take?"

"Happiness isn't predefined. People weave their own happiness- I'll find a way to do the same with you."

"There's going to be trouble." She told him, but she couldn't stop the small smile that played on her lips. "Lots of it. Your superiors aren't going to be happy, and the people around me aren't going to be too trusting at first." She paused. "Are you ready for all of that? It's going to be a lot harder than it sounds."

"Aa." He said with a nod.

"I make an annoying partner." She said with a giggle. "I don't know if you'd be able to stand me for more than a couple of days." Her smile slightly dropped. "Every single person I've fallen in love with has slipped away from me. It's like a double edged blade- people get hurt when they fall in love with me and I just always end up broken hearted."

"I don't care."

In the darkness, their hands found each other and their fingers weaved together.

Gaara had slipped out of her grip. Idate had faded away as well.

But this time, she would make sure that Uchiha Sasuke would never let go of her.

.

.

* * *

.

.

Sasuke wasn't surprised when Naruto's loud voice greeted him as soon as he returned.

"Do you know what time it is?" Naruto exclaimed, immediately jumping to his feet. "Where the hell have you been teme?" He added, pointing an accusing finger at the Uchiha. His voice was loud enough to wake Shikamaru up, who had been napping on the other end of the couch.

"It's none of your business dobe." Sasuke muttered, shrugging his coat off.

"Jesus christ Sasuke, I don't mind if you want to take a late night stroll but try not to wake the whole house up." Kiba miserably said, poking his head out the door to his room.

"Blame it on him." Sasuke said, jabbing a finger towards Naruto's direction. "This idiot yelled at me the moment I walked through the door."

Naruto shot a guilty look towards the extremely irritated and sleepy Kiba. The latter angrily growled, telling the blond to shut up before proceeding to slam the door quite loudly. Shikamaru tiredly sat up, also shooting an irritated glare towards the Naruto.

"Gaara came back." The genius dully informed the raven haired man. "We're going to have an early meeting tomorrow morning to go over our plans. Kabuto thinks that we should pull our first move soon- Orochimaru is starting to get impatient because we haven't had any progress so far."

Naruto tensed up at Shikamaru's words- Sasuke knew exactly what the blond was thinking.

_I don't know if I want to do this anymore._

"I need to call a meeting right now." Sasuke flatly stated.

"At this time?" Shikamaru glanced at his wristwatch. "It's one in the morning, Sasuke. I doubt that Kiba and Neji are going to be too happy about being woken up right now." He nervously looked towards the closed doors in the hallway. "And Gaara didn't seem to be in a good mood either. I know he doesn't sleep but it's not a good idea to disturb him at a time like this."

"I assure you, it's important."

Shikamaru sighed. When Uchiha Sasuke said something was important, it probably _was_. "Well whatever." He said in a defeated tone. "But you can go wake the others up. I'm not going anywhere near those bedrooms."

It took Sasuke less than five minutes to gather everyone into the living room. Despite the fact that Neji did not look too happy and Kiba was downright furious, it had been fairly easy. Sasuke had never requested for an emergency meeting before- so when he did, they automatically assumed that it was something extremely important.

"I hope you have a good reason for waking us up at this time." Neji said, his white eyes glaring at him. "And I also hope that you are aware of the fact that we have an early meeting tomorrow morning."

Sasuke didn't flinch. "I know." He said flatly. "But I probably won't be here by tomorrow morning."

Everyone gaped at him.

"Can you repeat that one more time?" Kiba asked dumbly. "It just sounded like you said that you were leaving."

"I am." The Uchiha declared. "I have decided to abandon this mission. Of course I will not expect any payment at all for my work up until now- just consider it charity work." He wasn't surprised to see that Naruto seemed to be struggling with himself at the back of he room.

"You can't just _quit._" Kiba spoke up again, looking dumbfounded. "It's not allowed. Orochimaru said there would be consequences if we failed to accomplish this mission."

"Exactly. If we _fail_ the mission." Sasuke pointed out. "I will simply be dropping out. The task of completing the mission or not is up to you- I am merely going to step out. If Orochimaru has a problem with that, I'll deal with it on my own."

"What are your thoughts on this, Captain?" Shikamaru bemusedly asked, glancing at the stoic Hyuuga.

"This isn't funny Sasuke." Neji told him seriously. "Who do you think you're dealing with? If Orochimaru was an everyday petty criminal who was easy to deal with, I would have been smart enough to refuse the mission to begin with. You know he won't be happy, and this isn't something you can deal with alone."

"I won't be alone."

Neji's eyes narrowed. "You know I can't help you if this gets out of hand."

"I won't ask for your help." Sasuke answered him. "I don't expect you to go easy on me if I get in the way. I just expect you to be aware that I'll do the same if it's the other way around."

"It's his decision." Neji finally said with a sigh, turning back towards Shikamaru. "If this is what he really wants to do, I have no choice but to let him leave. There's nothing in the contract that binds me to stop him from leaving. If Orochimaru is unhappy with this decision, he will have to take up with Sasuke himself."

"Good. I'll pack my things and be out of here within the hour." Sasuke said with a nod.

He was about to turn around and return to his room when Naruto stepped forwards, looking much more determined than he had before.

"I could really use the money from this mission..." He started to say. "But I've decided to quit this mission too. I don't think I'm really cut out for this job after all. I'll earn my money getting an honest job." He continued, with a bright smile on his face.

Sasuke incredulously stared at his best friend. "Naruto you..."

"Shut up teme! Don't you even dare think that you're the only one who can play hero right now!" Naruto interrupted him angrily. "Do you really think I can take Sakura-chan's life after getting to know her like a friend? I won't take her life only because I need the money!"

"Don't be an idiot Naruto!" Kiba shouted, his anger spiking. "I wasn't going to say anything because I know Sasuke will be able to take care of himself, but don't even think that you're as strong as he is! Trust me when I say that you're not going to be able to protect yourself from Orochimaru!"

"I'm not as weak as you guys make me out to be. I'll be perfectly fine." Naruto growled.

Shikamaru put his hand on the blond's shoulder. "Naruto, as much as I hate to admit it, Kiba's right. Sasuke has previously worked with Orochimaru before, so he'll probably know how to protect himself. But there's no chance of you being able to survive this by yourself. Your best bet is to just stick with us. I'm not saying that you'll have to kill her- all I'm saying is that you should just stay on our side until this is all over."

Naruto's blue eyes narrowed. "So you're telling me to just sit aside and watch while you guys kill her?" He spat out. "Who do you think I am? I'm not dropping this mission to go hide. I'm going to stick by Sakura-chan's side, even if it means that I'm going to have to fight you!"

"You're choosing a girl over your friends?" Kiba asked in disbelief, a look of hurt flashing through his eyes.

"No Kiba." Naruto shook his head. "It goes beyond that. I'm not choosing her over you- I'm just choosing to do what I feel is right."

"I won't allow it." Neji interjected. "Like Shikamaru said, you're not Sasuke. Even Sasuke's going to have a hard time getting out of this mess. I just know you're going to get yourself killed."

"I'll stay by his side."

Sasuke didn't even know that he had spoken until the words had already flown out of his mouth. Maybe it was because deep inside, he appreciated that Naruto was giving everything up to stick with her as well. Naruto was a warm-hearted person to the core- the polar opposite of himself. If Naruto thought that he was doing the right thing, he probably was. The Uchiha would never admit it, but having Naruto by his side would reassure him a little bit more.

Neji stayed quiet for a full minute, simply staring at the two boys in front of him.

"Do whatever you want to do." He finally spoke, and Naruto's face flooded with relief. "I have no other choice but to ask you to leave as soon as you can." He paused. "Take care of yourselves."

Sasuke smirked at him, while Naruto simultaneously gave him a large grin.

"We'll see you soon."

Without another word, the rest of the boys returned to their rooms, leaving the duo to pack their things.

"Well this was a bit unexpected." Naruto interrupted the silence with a sad smile on his face. "I didn't think you'd step up before I did. It certainly didn't look like you would when we had that talk over coffee- what changed your mind?"

Sasuke chose to ignore his friend as he proceeded to shove the rest of his clothing into his bag. He was secretly glad that he usually didn't pack a large variety of clothing- it made packing so much easier. Unfortunately, Naruto had brought too much and was currently trying to stuff more things into his bag which was about to burst.

"Is it because of her?"

Both boys whirled around to face the red haired insomniac. His question had been directed at neither in particular, but by the way his dark green eyes were intently staring at Sasuke, the answer was obvious.

"I don't see how it's any of your business." Sasuke started to say coldly. "But I'll just tell you so maybe you'll be able to sleep at night. I'm going to stay by her side no matter what happens."

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "What makes you think that you can?"

"She remembers, you know." Sasuke told him, and watched in satisfaction as Gaara's shoulders immediately tensed up. "It's no use hiding it from you, since you'll eventually find out anyways. She remembers what you did to her- she told me all about it in detail."

Naruto was looking extremely confused.

"Impossible." Gaara hissed. "How could her memory suddenly return?"

"It's thanks to you." Sasuke coolly replied with a smirk. "You thought that by killing Idate, she might be able to display some sort of weakness for us to discover. Instead, you just triggered her brain into remembering everything she forgot." He paused for a minute, as the smirk slowly disappeared. "But that was quite low Gaara, even for you. Perhaps there was more to it than simply the mission? Jealousy, perhaps?"

Gaara's fists clenched by his sides. "You don't know what you're talking about, Uchiha."

"I think I do." Sasuke continued. "She told me about how you betrayed her, all those years ago. She stuck by your side, thinking that maybe she could make you human again. But who are we kidding? You'll never be human. It was a mistake for her to open up to you from the start."

"She betrayed me first." Gaara's voice shook. "She and Lee betrayed me."

"You know what the sickest thing is? I think you actually cared about her at one point." Sasuke told him, his face carefully blank. "I vaguely remember you talking about someone all those years ago, when we first met."

Naruto gasped. "I remember too!" He whispered, looking straight into Gaara's eyes. "When we met for the first time, even before we got this mission from Orochimaru- when we were still dealing with small things... when you were different. You weren't always like this Gaara- you were never the most talkative one out of us all, but there was a time when we actually got along with each other. You mentioned a girl to us back then. You said she was your 'important someone'..." His eyes widened in realization. "Were you talking about Sakura-chan?"

"That was all in the past." Gaara said stiffly. "Forget about what I said back then. I was still a fool."

"But you actually sounded happy back then." Naruto said, looking at him sadly. "It's the only time I thought you were happy."

"Happiness?" Gaara's voice was icy. "There is no such thing as happiness in this world. There's only the illusion of happiness created by fools who desperately need a reason to live."

"You're illuding yourself." said Sasuke. "Sakura never betrayed you with Lee. It was all an illusion in your head."

"You're lying!" Gaara roared, sounding furious.

There was something disturbing about seeing the usually stoic man display so much emotion.

"I told you, Sakura told me everything. You were distancing yourself from her because you got distracted by your job- and maybe it's true that Lee fell in love with her romantically, but it was one sided. He just stayed by her side while she waited for you to return home." Sasuke shouted back., growing frustrated.

"A man who knows that his feelings are one-sided is not fool enough to stick by a woman for so long." Gaara spat, looking almost disgusted. "And in my own house! They should have known better- did they really think that I wouldn't have noticed his frequent visits to see her only because I wasn't there to witness it?"

"Gaara, you were the one who knew Lee the best." Naruto said softly. "If Lee was to fall in love with a woman, he would never give up on her- even if it _was_ completely one-sided. It's not hard for me to imagine Lee standing by Sakura-chan's side, even if it was while she was waiting for you."

Sasuke however, had no intentions of letting the redhead off so easily. "Sakura was waiting for you to come back. But even if you cared for her, you didn't even hesitate when you saw that she was one of the targets for our mission, did you? You _knew _that Lee would try and save her- and at that point, you didn't even care if either Lee or Sakura died, as long as one of them did."

"Women lie to make it seem like it's not their fault." Gaara grit out. "She lied to you, and you fell for it."

"And did it ever occur to you that you were manipulated into believing the wrong thing?" Sasuke told him. Gaara immediately froze at his words. "Let me guess- Orochimaru was the one who told you that Lee was going to your house to see Sakura almost everyday. Coincidentally, it was right before we received the mission to eliminate her. Did it ever even cross your mind that Orochimaru said that only to make you angry?"

Gaara stayed silent.

"I guess not." Sasuke growled. "I guess it was too easy for you to think that they both betrayed you. At least Orochimaru made the right choice- if he had tried to convince Lee that you were betraying him, Lee would never have believed it. He trusted you with his life- something that apparently wasn't the same for you."

Sasuke stood up, throwing his bag over his shoulder as he expectantly looked down at the blond. "Come on Naruto, it's time for us to leave." He said, and the said boy immediately gathered the last of his things to hastily stand by Sasuke's side. "It's too late to go back Gaara. Lee is never going to come back. I'm going to be the one to stand by her side this time- and I'll do it right."

Gaara crumpled to the floor, clutching his head. Naruto shot him a worried look, but Sasuke did not hesitate to walk out the door.

It was too late to feel remorse.

.

.

* * *

.

.

"I almost thought you wouldn't come."

"Aa."

Sakura's warm smile was enough to release all of his stress as soon as he saw her. Sasuke stood still at her doorway and let the pink haired girl circle her arms around his waist, leaning her head onto his chest as she listened to his quiet heartbeat.

An awkward cough came from behind them. "I don't mean to ruin the moment guys, but I'm kinda stuck outside." Naruto's sheepish grin appeared behind Sasuke's shoulder. "Mind if I come in, Sakura-chan?"

"Naruto!" Sakura's viridian orbs widened at the sight of the blond haired boy. "What are you doing here?" She turned towards Sasuke for an explanation.

"I told him to stop being stupid, but obviously he never listens to me." Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. "He insisted he come along, and I kind of ended up agreeing to look after him."

"Hey, stop making me sound like I'm a pet!" Naruto protested with a frown.

"Naruto, you didn't have to..." She didn't know how to react. "I don't understand... why would you throw everything away for me?" She whispered, looking pained.

Naruto looked at her gently. "Sakura-chan, getting to know you made me realize that this isn't the job I want to do. Helping you out is the least I could do for you, after everything you've been through."

Sakura didn't particularily understand what he was saying- but she didn't need to. At least not in that moment. All she knew was that they were there for her, and that was all she needed to feel alive again.

"Thank you."

She moved aside, letting the two men enter her modest apartment. She had earned quite a bit of money during her two year stay with the Akatsuki- just enough for her to buy an apartment comfortable enough for one person. It would probably be cramped with the three of them, but it would have to do for now. Sasuke had insisted on staying at her house until this whole ordeal was over- he was positive that she would be attacked in her own home sooner or later.

She hadn't expected for Naruto to stay over too though.

"Hey, hey Sakura-chan, do you have any ramen at home?" Naruto asked, immediately heading towards the kitchen. "Even instant ramen is okay! As long as it's ramen."

Sakura looked through her cabinets. "Well I have tons of instant ramen. You can help yourself if you want, I don't usually eat ramen anyways." She told him. His eyes lightened up as if he had received an early Christmas present.

"Sakura. We have to organize sleeping arrangements."

Naruto and Sakura both froze at Sasuke's words. Sleeping arrangements were something they hadn't even thought about yet. Sakura's bed was barely big enough for two people- one of them would have to sleep on the couch. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room on the living room floor for another person to lie down.

"I'll sleep in the bed with Sakura-chan!" Naruto quickly exclaimed. "Since I'm completely pure and have no bad intentions whatsoever- I think I'm the best candidate!"

Sasuke scowled at his best friend. "Don't be stupid, dobe. I was about to suggest that she sleep next to me. I don't even want to think about what you could do, even if your sleep."

"You know what? You guys can take the bed, I'll take the couch." Sakura said nervously, her cheeks slightly pink.

"The two of us could never fit on the bed." Sasuke pointed out. "There's no way two fully developed men could fit together."

Sakura glanced at her bed and begrudgingly had to admit that he was right.

"Rock, paper, scissors!" Naruto called out, holding his fist out towards the Uchiha. "Like real men. You and me, right now. Winner gets to take the bed."

Sasuke glared at him. "Agreed." He said, holding his fist out as well.

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, the tension getting the best of her.

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

She slowly opened her eyes to see who had won and who had lost. Naruto was doing an extremely disturbing victory dance in the middle of the living room, while Sasuke looked infuriated. She couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed- she would never admit it out loud, but she had been looking forward to sleeping next to Sasuke's warm body.

Sasuke caught the disappointed look on her face and immediately got to his feet, dragging Naruto behind him. "We'll be right back." He told her, as they disappeared behind the front door. She distinctly heard them discussing outside- Sasuke was doing most of the talking, but she couldn't quite hear what they were saying. There was a moment of silence- and then a very pale looking Naruto burst back into the house.

"Sorry Sakura-chan, I think I'll take the couch." The blond shakily told her, heading towards the bathroom. "If you don't mind, I'm going to go take a very long bath."

Sasuke was smirking when he walked back in, locking the door behind him.

"What did you say to him?" Sakura suspiciously asked.

"Nothing in particular." Sasuke answered with a shrug. "We should get some sleep- it's late and we have to go to school in the morning."

She couldn't argue with that- she suddenly felt extremely tired. Now that she thought back on it, it had been an extremely eventful day. She left a couple of blankets for Naruto use on the couch, and decided that the blond would be fine to figure out the rest on his own as she retreated back to her bedroom. Sasuke was right behind her.

It was hard for her to stay calm as she climbed into bed. The thought of Sasuke lying right next to her made her heart beat wildly against her ribcage. She was positive that he would be able to hear the sound of her heart pounding. She stiffened as he lied down next to her- she had never shared a bed with anyone else before. Even during her stay at Gaara's house, she had usually slept on the couch.

"Relax." He whispered, looking at her. "I'm not going to do anything."

"I know." She nervously replied with a smile. "It's not that I don't trust you."

"Aa." He was quiet for a minute, making her even more nervous.

"I'm not eighteen years old"

She looked up at him in surprise at his sudden confession.

"Wha-?"

"Naruto and I are twenty years old. None of the other guys are eighteen either- we just lied about our age to pretend to be high school students." He paused. "I was born in this city. I'm the last living heir of my family. I own a mansion downtown but I rarely ever go back to live in it. I like tomatoes and hate sweet things."

Sakura realized what he was doing- he was telling her about his actual self. This wasn't the Uchiha Sasuke who was pretending to be a student for the sake of his job- this was the real Uchiha Sasuke, the one she had yet to fully discover. He was trying to take her mind off of the tension so that she could relax.

She closed her eyes, and somewhere in the middle of a discussion about fire and katanas, his voice slowly lulled her to sleep.

.

.

* * *

.

.

It didn't take a genius for one to realize that the atmosphere in class 308 had visibly changed.

The usual dynamics of the classroom were completely messed up. Sasuke and Naruto, who had never been separated from their four other friends before, were sitting alongside Sakura, protectively glaring at whoever looked her way. Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru and Gaara were pretending to be completely oblivious to this change in seating, while for the first time in years, Sai and Sakura did not sit next to each other.

Sai was sharp and perceptive- it took him less than a second to figure things out.

When Sai stepped inside the classroom, Neji wasn't surprised to see that he didn't go take his usual seat next to Sakura- what _did _surprise him, however, was that the said boy headed directly towards the Hyuuga's direction, taking a seat next to him. His usual pleasant smile was gone, only to be replaced with a completely unsettling blank face.

"I see things haven't gone as expected." He sat flatly, setting his bag down. "It's obvious that I have been discovered by our target, so I might as well reveal myself to you as well."

Neji was extremely confused. "What are you talking about?" He asked.

Sai turned around to face him. "Sai is a name that has been given to me for the sake of this mission, but you may continue to call me that. I work under Orochimaru- I am the supervisor to this mission alongside Kabuto-san. I have been working undercover as our target's friends for the past three years. Contrary to what she used to believe, I did not know her before her accident. I was required to lie about it to get close to her."

"Supervisor?" Neji's eyes widened. Shikamaru and Kiba immediately looked at him in interest.

"Indeed. I have been observing your progress all this time." He glanced over towards the pink haired girl. "But I have been informed that she has regained all of her memories about the past. Unfortunately, she was aware of my identity before her memory loss so it is safe to say that she is aware of who I am now."

"You were pretending to be her friend this whole time?" Kiba interrupted.

"Indeed." It was almost odd how Sai's tone was so blank. "I tried to eliminate her after your attempt, Neji-san. The car crash should have killed her but it's apparent that her powers somehow aided her, even if they were dormant at the time. The accident caused her powers to activate, so we had no choice but to inject her with our newly developed poison that would affect the part of her brain that contains her memories. Her memories were supposed to be sealed forever, but it seems like her powers interefered once again."

"Wait, so let me get this straight." Kiba said, rubbing his temples. "_You_ were the one who ran her over with a car? And her memory loss wasn't caused by the accident but by some weird kind of poison?"

"Exactly." Sai answered with a nod. "I told her that I was a friend from her past, and I was to stick beside her to observe her powers as much as I could."

Shikamaru was the only one who didn't seem to be surprised. "I suspected as much." The genius said with a shrug. "It wasn't hard to look for Sakura's records before the accident. I found no traces of a 'Sai' from her past. It's like you magically appeared right after she lost her memory- it was too much of a coincidence."

"And you didn't think that this was worth mentioning to us?" Kiba asked him incredulously.

"I was going to dig into it more before telling you guys, but I didn't get the chance." Shikamaru answered. "But now I see that we've been saved the trouble."

"Orochimaru-sama will not be pleased to hear that Sasuke and Naruto have abandoned the mission." Sai flatly said. "We will have to start planning soon. It may take a bit longer than we expected, since we are missing two members."

Kiba cast an uncertain look towards their former partners. "Will there be consequences for them?" He asked quietly.

"That will be up to Orochimaru-sama."

Kiba secretly hoped that they were going to be okay.

.

.

* * *

.

.

Sakura rushed through the hallways towards the back of the building, hoping that her excuse had been good enough for Naruto and Sasuke to believe it. She probably wouldn't have much time before they would start to suspect.

_This better be worth it. _

Naruto and Sasuke would both throw a fit if they knew who she was really going to meet during their lunch break- she desperately hoped that they wouldn't find out.

"You better have a damn good reason to call me out at this time." She said coldly, finally reaching the deserted back of the school building. Just as she had expected, he was there waiting for her. She knew better than to trust him at a crucial time like this- but the look in his eyes told her that he wasn't there to hurt her. At least not right now.

"I'm impressed. Naruto was always an overemotional idiot, but I didn't expect Sasuke to cross over to your side too." Gaara said tonelessly.

"Well I'm sure it surprises you that there are people in this world that actually want me to live." She dryly replied, rolling her eyes.

He turned around to face her. "I'm not here to help you." He stated clearly. "But I thought that you should know that by dragging those two idiots onto your side, you're putting them in extreme danger."

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked, frowning. She was aware of the fact that by abandoning their mission, they weren't going to make many people happy- but apart from that, she couldn't imagine any other reason for them being in danger. "What kind of danger are you talking about?"

"The person who hired us to kill you was Orochimaru." He told her. It was apparent that she didn't recognize the name. "You would never have accepted their help if you knew what kind of person Orochimaru is. I bet you're thinking that they're just going to be scolded or something."

He seemed to read her mind.

"But by turning them against Orochimaru, you're putting them in actual physical danger." She felt her stomach drop at his words. "Orochimaru is not a man to be taken lightly. I would be surprised if Sasuke and Naruto didn't die as a result of their betrayal."

"But it's just a job!" She blurted out. "They were simply paid to do a job! It should be fine if they just don't accept the money right? It's not like they're hurting him or anything."

"You don't understand at all, do you Sakura?" Gaara said with a glare. "This isn't a matter of jobs or missions. It's a matter of disrespecting him- we got away with abandoning the mission once, but he's not going to overlook it a second time. Naruto and Sasuke must be insane if they think they can overpower him."

Why hadn't they told her that? They had briefly talked about the risks that they would face, but they hadn't mentioned anything of the sort. She thought that maybe they had been talking about having to go against their own team. She didn't remember them talking about Orochimaru- not even once.

"Are you saying they could die just because they helped me?" Sakura whispered, feeling horrified.

"I'm not saying that they _could_ die. I'm telling you that they will." Gaara said, his facial expression never changing.

_If you fall in love with me, I'll only end up destroying you. _

Casting him one last fearful look, Sakura turned on her heel and quickly disappeared behind the corner.

There was a moment of silence as the red haired boy simply stood still, leaning against the wall. "You can come out now." He finally said, looking unimpressed. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice your presence?"

"I must applaud you on your ingenious plan." Sai said, stepping out into the open. "She's bound to give herself up now. I'm starting to think you're smarter than Shikamaru."

Gaara didn't even bother to turn his gaze towards the pale boy.

"I wasn't trying to get her to turn herself in." He stated flatly, turning his back towards Sai. "I no longer care if she lives or dies. However I have been working with Sasuke and Naruto for a couple of years now and I can't say that I'm too keen on seeing them get killed right before my eyes."

Sai looked at him questioningly, tilting his head to the side. "I have always been curious when it comes to 'bonds' you share with other people. It's impressive to see that even you have the ability to create certain bonds with the people around you." He straightened up again. "But why bother warning her? You know as well as I do that no matter how hard they try to hide, Orochimaru will always find them in the end."

Gaara whirled around to viciously glare at the black haired boy. "You may be my supervisor on this mission, but that does not mean that I will respect you. Please stay away from me from now on." He snarled, before marching back into the school.

Sai called out behind him.

"I hope that you will be smarter than Naruto and Sasuke were. It's too late for them, but not for you."

.

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* * *

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.

"Sasuke-teme, don't you think she's taking a bit too long?" Naruto whined, leaning back on his seat. "Who did she say she was going to meet anyways? I thought Sakura-chan didn't have any other friends in school other than Sai."

"Some girl named Nanami." Sasuke said disinterestedly, flipping through the pages of his math book. "What time is it Naruto?"

"Eh?" The blond glanced at the clock hanging at the front of the classroom. "It's twelve forty. Lunch time is almost over." His face scrunched up into a concerned frown as he fidgeted in his seat.

"Hey, isn't that Haruno?" A random student said, staring out the window.

"Yeah _duh_. Who else do you know in our school who has pink hair?" Another classmate answered him dryly, rolling his eyes. "Looks like she's heading towards that group of transfer students. What d'you think she wants with them?"

Sasuke slammed his book shut, startling a couple of people around him. His head snapped towards the window.

"Beats me. But did you feel the atmosphere in the class this morning? Man it felt super tense, maybe they had a fight or something. She might be heading to apologize- holy shit is that a _gun?_"

Sasuke and Naruto both jumped to their feet, and ran out of the classroom before the other boy could even answer his friend.

They could only pray that they would make it in time.

.

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* * *

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.

"Are you here to kill me before I do it first?" Neji calmly asked, setting aside the book in his hands to look up at her from his seated position on the grass. He did not seem at all fazed by the sight of the gun in her hands. He recognized it as Naruto's gun- only the blond could have been stupid enough to leave his weapons lying around in plain sight. Kiba, on the other hand had jumped to his feet, his hands immediately reaching for his own weapon. Shikamaru simply warily looked at them from the corner of his eyes.

"No." She breathed, trying not to sound nervous. "I have a question for you instead."

If Neji was surprised at her answer, he didn't show it at all. He encouraged her to continue with a nod.

"Is it true that by helping me out, Sasuke and Naruto have put their lives in danger?"

Neji sighed, getting up on his feet. "I'm not going to lie to you, Sakura-san. Sasuke and Naruto have indeed put their lives in danger with their actions- Orochimaru is definitely not a man to be messed with. He has many connections and will probably not give up until they are either severely hurt of maybe even dead." Her eyes widened in horror at his words. "However it was their own decision. They knew the risks that came with abandoning the mission."

"Are they stupid?" Sakura whispered. "Do they really think they can stand a chance against someone so powerful?"

"That's what I tried to tell them." Kiba said with a frustrated sigh. "But they wouldn't listen. They think they're invincible for some reason."

Sakura thought about how she had gone wrong with Gaara. How Lee had died to protect her. How Idate had died because of her. And now even Sasuke and Naruto...

_I am cursed._

_Everyone I love will always get hurt. _

It took her less than a second to decide.

"Here." She firmly grabbed Neji's hand and made him hold the gun. She put her small hands over his own rough ones, aiming the muzzle of the gun at her chest. "This is my weakness, Hyuuga Neji. I am vulnerable at any time as long as it's someone I am close to."

Neji looked surprised at her statement. "You consider me to be close to you?"

She weakly smiled at him. "I guess telling you about my secret special breakfast that morning wasn't that good of an idea." She said, as her eyes started to tear up.

He stared at the gun in wonder, unable to answer her.

"Oi what the hell are you doing?" Kiba yelped, jumping forwards in surprise. "Have you gone insane?"

She stared back at him in defiance. "Get away from me!" She screamed, her tears finally starting to stream down her face. "As long as I die, Sasuke and Naruto will be fine right? If I die, no one will get hurt anymore. Lee... Idate... It was all my fault!"

Even Shikamaru was starting look concerned, which highly alarmed Kiba. "Wait-" He called out, reaching out towards her.

"For god's sake, don't stop me!" She shouted furiously. "Isn't this your mission? Haven't you been doing all of this to find my weaknesses? Well here you are, I'll just take care of it for you!"

Her grip tightened on Neji's hands.

"Do it." She whispered, looking up into his white orbs. "Do me a favor. Do it for Naruto and Sasuke."

He closed his eyes.

_Forgive me father, for I have sinned. _

He pulled the trigger.

_Goodbye Sasuke._

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* * *

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.

Deidara's eyes widened as the coffee mug slipped through his hands and crashed to the floor, breaking into many little pieces. He cursed under his breath as the steaming hot coffee burned the skin on his hand.

"You alright?" Kisame asked, poking his head into the blond's room. "You seem to be pretty spaced out."

"Huh?" Deidara distractedly answered, looking up from the floor. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. I guess I dazed out for a moment." He looked out the window into the winter morning. "I just felt like something bad happened for a moment there. I might have been daydreaming."

"Probably." Kisame slowly said, following the blond's gaze. "But you're right. There's something a bit off about today."

'Hn."

.

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* * *

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.

_I only wanted to be normal. _

_That's all I ever wished for. _

_For me, normality equaled happiness. I knew that I would never be happy for as long my body would hold these powers. _

_If I had been normal, then maybe I could have saved Gaara. I could have prevented Lee from dying. I could have stayed with Idate. I could have befriended Naruto as a normal high school girl. I could have fallen in love with Sasuke. Everything could have- no, _would _have been different._

_I know that the most poetic thing to say right now would be that I didn't die with any regrets- but I would be lying. _

_There were so many things that I regretted- from something petty such as stealing my classmate's videogame once to things such as not being able to prevent Lee and Idate's deaths. I regretted not talking to Deidara sooner- we could have solved things so much earlier; I wonder how many amazing memories we could have made? I regretted not meeting Sasuke before- maybe if we had gotten to know each other just a little bit sooner, I could have learned about love. _

_But my biggest regret- my absolutely biggest regret- _

_Was being born. _

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* * *

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.

By the time Sasuke and Naruto got to the school grounds, it was far too late.

Their surroundings immediately turned into chaos at the sound of the gunshot. Students started to scream and flee into or out of the building in a frenzy, trying to figure out the source of the sound. Somewhere within the building, someone was frantically dialing the police.

Neji blankly stared at the weapon in his hands.

"Congratulations." Sai calmly said, walking towards him. The pale skinned boy came to a stop, slowly bringing his hands together to applaud the Hyuuga. "You have finally completed your mission. Orochimaru will be most pleased- maybe you will be in time to lessen Sasuke and Naruto's punishments."

Neji's crystal white eyes widened, as if he had finally realized the calamity of it all. All he could do was helplessly stand there, frozen in place as Sasuke rushed over to the pink haired girl's fallen figure. Blood was staining her shirt, quickly spreading around her body.

"Sakura-" The Uchiha choked out in a tone Neji had never heard him use before. "Stay with me, Sakura." Sasuke continued, frantically grabbing her hand. Naruto joined his side, wordlessly holding her other limp hand.

"Sa...suke..." She was stilll alive. Her weak voice was barely audible above all the screaming. "Na...ruto..." A pained expression overcame her face as she coughed out blood. "So... cold..."

"It's okay, Sakura-chan." Naruto tearfully reassured her, grasping her hand even tighter. "You'll be fine. We just have to fix you up and you'll be as good as new. Just concentrate on us, okay?"

"...Co...cold." Sakura whispered, as her emerald eyes slowly fluttered shut.

Sasuke leaned his forehead onto her own. "Just a little more, Sakura." He quietly said, closing his eyes as well. "Just wait a little more, and the pain will be over."

He stayed in that same position until her shallow breaths turned into pained pants, and her pained pants turned into nothing at all as her breathing finally came to a stop. Her wound kept bleeding, despite the fact that she had released her last breath long ago.

The two boys slowly stood up, releasing her limp hands in the process.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

Both onyx and cerulean eyes turned a brilliant shade of crimson.

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* * *

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.

_"We chase these days down_

_With talks of the places that we will go. _

_We live on front porches _

_And swing life away."_

_._

_._

_._


	11. oh it is love

**.**

**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED**

**stfuSPARKS**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or 'Oh It is Love' by Hellogoodbye :)._

* * *

_._

_._

_._

**XI.**

**Oh! It is Love**

"_We'll be holding hands once again, _

_All our broken plans I will mend, _

_I will hold you tight so you know, _

_It is love,_

_From the first time I pressed my hand to yours._

_Thinking _

_"Oh, is it love?" _

_._

_._

_._

"Please tell me Deidara, why do we have to go check up on Pinky just because you 'have a bad feeling'?" Kisame asked the blond dryly, as the car drove closer to the school buildings. "Since when are you psychic? Last time I checked, Sakura was the one who had the powers, not you."

Deidara rolled his eyes at his bigger friend. "I just have a bad feeling, okay? It's called having 'sharp instincts', something that is apparently too hard for your fish-sized brain to comprehend." He snapped, starting to sound irritated.

"Well it doesn't hurt to check. It's not like the three of us have anything else to do anyways." Sasori said with a sigh, as the car slowly came to a stop.

The three of them were about to get out when a couple of screaming students frantically ran out of the school gates. One of them quickly ran over to the parked car and pounded his fist onto the windows.

"You have to call the police!" He cried, looking desperate. "I didn't see what happened but there was a huge gunshot and apparently this girl is dying-"

That was enough information for them to get moving. The three of them swiftly exited the car and ran over to the grounds, looking around for the source of all the chaos. "Damnit." Deidara cursed under his breath. "Do you think it's Sakura-chan? I didn't think they would make a move so early on in the game"

"Just shut up and run." Kisame panted, as their pace quickened.

They could vaguely see a group of unmoving people standing a couple of meters away from them. Deidara felt his stomach drop as they got closer- the pink haired girl was laying down, _unmoving_- and was that _blood _staining the grass? "Oh god, Sakura-chan." He whispered in horror, as he skidded to a stop. The outline of a gun was clearly visible in Neji's hands- the blond's fury raged as he realized that this was probably her attacker.

She wasn't breathing, she wasn't moving- she was like a cold, dead body. But it was impossible- the Sakura he knew couldn't die.

He shakily reached a hand out towards her. "Sakura-chan." He weakly called out. Another hand reached out to stop him- he turned around to face Kisame, who was shaking his head at him.

"It's too late for Pinky." The blue skinned man quietly told him. "But you might want to stay back for now. It seems like things are out of our control."

Deidara turned back around to see what his words meant. Two boys were standing in front of Sakura's cold body-

But the sight was gruesome.

Was that- the younger Uchiha? Deidara's mind automatically recognized one of the two boys as Itachi's younger brother, but he was no longer the same boy he had met in the movie theater awhile back. His onyx black eyes were now a brilliant shade of angry red, as ugly black markings slowly spread across the entire right side of his body, almost like a disease.

He didn't recognize the blond standing by Sasuke's side, but this was no normal human being either. Naruto's canine teeth had grown into long fangs as he bared his teeth at the boy with the gun, and the whiskers that everyone had always assumed to be scars lengthened, leaving the impression of a rabid fox. His sky blue eyes had also morphed into a shade of ugly red.

Kiba took a courageous step towards them with a look of horror on his face. "Sasuke... Naruto... what happened to you?" He choked out, terrified at the sight of his two friends turning into something inhuman right before his eyes.

Shikamaru pulled him back, shaking his head. "I don't think they can hear you." He muttered under his breath. "Look at them. They're no longer the Sasuke and Naruto that we know."

They watched as Sasuke's face contorted in pain. His black markings started to shrink back, before spreading even more. The markings went back and forth, as if he was fighting something inside of himself.

The strange yellow aura surrounding Naruto grew brighter as the blond let an inhumane growl escape his lips. He leaned down into an aggressive stance, as if he was ready to pounce onto anyone at any second.

"Sasuke, get a hold of yourself!" Neji shouted, recovering from his initial shock.

Sasuke let out a howl of pain as his obvious struggle visibly increased.

"Is this what Sakura would want? Would she want you to lose control like this?" Neji shouted again. Sasuke's entire body immediately recoiled at hearing the pink haired girl's name. His eyes widened as the black markings quickly receded back. Shikamaru let out a quiet sigh of relief, hoping that half of their problems had been solved- for now.

He realized that he had hoped too soon.

"You finally show your true nature, little brother."

Itachi stepped into the scene, coldly observing the scene with similar red eyes.

And then, Sasuke lost it.

.

.

* * *

.

.

When Sakura woke up again, she was no longer on the school grounds.

She looked around to see if she was anywhere familiar- but she couldn't recognize anything. She was in an endless white space- it was almost unsettling. The sky above her and the ground were both a shade of blinding white, making it impossible for her to distinguish where the sky met with the earth. There was no beginning nor end to this seemingly infinite place.

_Oh right. I died._

Her shoulders slightly slumped. So did that mean that she was in heaven? She looked around herself, trying to make sense of the place. She didn't think it was heaven- heaven was usually described as a place full of happiness and joy. She didn't particularily feel giddy, but it couldn't be hell either. So maybe she was in purgatory?

She sat down with a sigh, wondering if this was what the afterlife in purgatory was like. Would she have to wander this endless place for the rest of eternity? It didn't sound too appealing, but she supposed it was better than suffering forever in hell.

A small smile graced her lips as she realized that it was finally over. Sasuke and Naruto would be safe. No one would ever be put in danger because of her again.

"Sakura-san, do you really think they're going to be at peace without you?"

Her head jerked upwards at the sound of someone interrupting her thoughts. She had looked over the entire place barely a minute ago, and she had not seen a single soul even remotely anywhere around. Where had he come from?

Her eyes widened at the teenage boy standing in front of her.

"Lee...?"

The eccentric boy with the strange haircut and thick eyebrows warmly smiled at her. "Sakura-san, it's not time for you to leave yet. Don't let my sacrifice go to waste." He gently told her, offering her a hand to help her up. She speechlessly accepted his outstretched hand and stood up. "You must return."

"I'm so sorry." She whispered, as her eyes started to burn. "You died because of me... I never should have gotten you involved."

"Please do not blame yourself." He told her, a bit sternly. "It was never your fault. It was my choice to sacrifice myself, and I do not regret it at all. I never have." His eyes softened. "But if you give up now, my death will have been in vain."

Sakura silently choked back her tears. "But still.."

"Lee's right, Sakura. You can't blame yourself."

She whirled around to face another new addition to the conversation.

"Idate-" She breathed, and had to stop talking to swallow the large lump in her throat. When she felt ready, she spoke again. "I'm so sorry- you had absolutely nothing to do with this. You shouldn't have talked to me that day in the hospital... if you never knew me, then you could've lived a happy life." she quietly sobbed, grabbing onto his arm.

"What on earth are you talking about Sakura?" Idate told her, looking a little be confused. "I had an amazing life. Sure it was short, but I was the happiest man alive with you by my side. I should be thanking you."

Sakura's entire mind was overwhelmed with guilt at his words. She wanted to be honest with him- but how would she tell him that she had never loved him in that way?

"It's alright." He murmured, gently stroking her hair. It was as if he had read her mind. "I always knew Sakura. But it's okay, because you still loved me. Even if it wasn't the same kind of love that I had for you, it was still love, and that was enough for me. I was happy, and I still am." His pulled away from her as his eyes hardened. "But you're still in time to save other people Sakura. You have to go back."

"I can't go back." She vehemently shook her head. "You've seen it- people only get hurt when they get involved with me. I'm better off dead."

"That's not true!" Lee interjected. "There are still people who need you right now. Naruto needs you. _Sasuke _needs you."

Her heart momentarily stopped when she heard his name.

"Sa...Sasuke?"

Idate nodded, holding her hand. "He's the one you really love, isn't it?" He quietly asked, his eyes softening as her entire body tensed. "I think I knew even before you did. But I think he'll do a good job at protecting you- I can relax now."

"Sakura-san, you need to return right now. You are still in time to save Sasuke before he does something that he will regret for the rest of his life. You are the only one who can save him from his pain." Lee told her. "It's now or never."

She cast a hesitant look back into Idate's clear blue eyes. He nodded encouragingly, setting a comforting hand on her shoulder as Lee did the same.

"Goodbye Sakura. Thank you for everything."

Her eyes started to water again as he smiled warmly at her.

"I love you, Sakura."

"The spirit of my youth will always be with you, Sakura-san!"

She closed her eyes and slowly drifted off once again.

.

.

* * *

.

.

Sakura woke up again with a gasp, as searing hot pain ripped through her chest. She violently choked on her own blood as her body was racked with convulsions. Something warm was seeping through her school uniform with every shaky breath she tried to take.

_But she was alive. _

She silently counted in her head as she tried to calm down.

_One, two, three, four, five, six..._

The pain slowly faded away. She looked down at the fatal wound that had been inflicted in her chest, but there was nothing there except for flawless, unmarred skin colored in red. She lightly touched the pale skin that had previously been all mangled and torn in wonder. Did her powers as a Damned perhaps include healing powers as well?

She didn't have time to contemplate over her newfound observations as she noticed her two protectors getting ready to attack.

"Sasuke...?"

He slowly turned around to face her with a maniac grin spread on his face.

She almost screamed in horror.

He was no longer the Sasuke she knew. What were those horrible eyes? And what was wrong with his skin? She didn't have the time to wonder about the answers to her own questions as her eyes shifted over to the blond boy standing by his side.

Naruto turned around to growl out her, showing off his sinister looking fangs. His eyes were the same shade of Sasuke's.

"Who _are _you people?" She whispered.

Sasuke roared, the black markings taking over his entire body as he turned back to face his older brother. In the blink of an eye, the older Uchiha whipped out a gun and immediately took three shots at his own flesh and blood without even hesitating. However Sasuke was faster- he dodged all three bullets, moving faster than the naked eye could follow.

Itachi skillfully jumped out of the way just in time to avoid Sasuke's fist as it slammed into the spot where Itachi had been standing less than a second ago, breaking the ground underneath. Sasuke whirled around to face his brother once again.

"Itachi!" Sasuke roared, as his older brother coldly smirked in response.

"You're still weak, little brother."

"He's out of control!" Shikamaru shouted as Sasuke swerved forwards again, trying to land a killing blow onto Itachi. "Someone stop him!"

Kiba moved out of the way just in time to avoid Naruto's fangs. "They both have no idea of what they're doing!" The canine boy frantically called out, scrambling to his feet. "At this rate, they're going to kill everyone in sight!"

Sakura's eyes widened at his statement. She automatically jerked away as someone grabbed her arm, roughly pulling her to her feet.

"We have to leave right now." Sasori murmured into her ear, trying not to attract any unwanted attention. "These boys were on your side before, but right now they're on no one's side. Everyone is an enemy to them in this state- you might get killed as well if you stay here. We can't hope to save everyone but we should get you out as quickly as we can."

"Sasori, what the hell happened?" Sakura said in horror, looking at the scene unfold before her very eyes.

"They've turned into monsters." He answered her blankly.

She flinched as Naruto headed for Deidara next, apparently giving up on Kiba. Deidara barely evaded the fox's direct attack in time, as Naruto's fangs grazed his right arm. Bright red blood spurted from Deidara's fresh wound as he cursed, trying to find shelter behind a thick tree. At the same time, Sasuke charged towards his brother one more time, letting out a satisfied growl as his fist finally connected with Itachi's chest.

"Kisame!" Deidara roared out, calling out to his partner. "We can't stop them! We'll have to kill them at this rate!"

"No!" Sakura immediately screamed. They finally seemed to realize that she was still alive for the first time.

"Sakura-chan- how are you alive-" Deidara couldn't finish his sentence as Naruto charged towards him once more.

"Pinky, it's either they kill us or we kill them first!" Kisame growled, swinging his giant sword at Naruto in an attempt to distract him from Deidara. "We don't have any other choice!"

"No." Sakura whispered, shaking Sasori's grip off of her arm as she slowly staggered forwards. Sasuke and Naruto now stood back to back, both viciously regarding their enemies. Before anyone could stop her, she ran towards the two boys, grabbing their arms.

"They're my boys." She whispered, clutching them tightly as she squeezed her eyes shut. "Leave them be."

Everyone watched in fascination as Naruto's fangs slowly shrunk back and Sasuke's markings retreated into a small seal at the back of his neck. Their eyes faded into their respective colors of cerulean and onyx as they gazed down at her in wonder. When they finally returned to normal, they both collapsed against her tiny frame. She hugged them tightly in return, exhaustedly falling onto her back with one boy in each arm.

She briefly closed her eyes, basking in the sound of their breathing at her side. When she opened her eyes, they were no longer green.

To everyone's surprise, they weren't the same shade of red that they were used to seeing in her eyes either. They were a much darker shade of red, decorated with gold flecks near the pupils. It was captivating yet eerie at the same time- they had never seen anything like it.

"If you ever try to touch them again-

_I'll kill you." _

.

.

* * *

.

.

When Sasuke opened his eyes, he was met with a familiar room with beige walls and pretty pale pink curtains. He rolled around onto his side to see a pink haired girl seated on the floor at the edge of the bed, breathing deeply in her sleep. Her short pink locks were splayed on the covers as her head rested on the mattress, leaving Sasuke plently of room on the bed.

"Sakura." He breathed, unintentionally stirring her awake. A pair of beautiful green eyes blinked a couple of times, before they focused on his face. "You're alive." He whispered, reaching out to touch her cheek.

Sakura let out a hearty laugh. "Of course I'm awake." She teasingly murmured. "Did you really think that you would be able to get rid of me so easily?"

"I was starting to wonder where that fiesty side of you went." Sasuke muttered with a smirk on his face. "I'm glad to see it's still there."

A comfortable silent surrounded them as they both didn't speak for a few more seconds. "You and Naruto have both been asleep for an entire day." She said with a weary smile on her face. "I'm glad to see you're finally awake though. If it wasn't for Naruto's earthshaking snoring, I would've thought him to be dead." She paused, looking slightly hesitant for a moment. "Do you remember what happened?" She quietly asked him, as her smile slowly faded away.

His eyebrows knitted into a frown. "I..." He started to say, when he suddenly sat up straight, clutching his head in pain. Memories of the previous day immediately flooded into his head, as he saw brief flashes of red eyes and black markings. His onyx eyes snapped up to stare at her. She expectantly looked back at him, hoping that he would remember. She didn't know how she would explain everything if he didn't.

He suddenly got out of the bed, as the covers slid off of his pale body. "I need to take a walk." He muttered under his breath, pulling on a jacket.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked, looking alarmed at his sudden change in mood. "You have to stay home and rest! You've been awake for barely more than five minutes!"

He winced, realizing that she was right; his whole body ached. However he didn't have the time to concentrate on his injuries. He couldn't face Sakura right now, not in his current state. "I'll be back within an hour." He murmured, rapidly exiting the bedroom. Sakura trailed after him, looking concerned.

"Sasuke, please don't go out. It's not safe for you right now." She pleaded him.

He opened the front door, sliding on his worn out sneakers. "I'll be back within the hour, I promise." He repeated, closing the door before she could answer him. He didn't dare look back as he ran down the stairs and into the cool, empty street. It was already nighttime- he couldn't be sure of what time it was, but he guessed that it was pretty late judging by how deserted the streets were.

He breathed deeply as his feet automatically started to lead him forwards. He couldn't believe what had happened barely a day ago- had that really been him? He still couldn't shake off the feeling of the immense amount of power surging through his veins. He had never felt so invincible before.

Sasuke reached the small abandoned park near Sakura's house and plopped himself onto an empty bench, staring at his own hands. His skin was completely clear now, devoid of any markings at all. The only evidence of the events of the previous day being true was the small seal at the back of his neck. His fingers slowly reached up to gingerly touch the mark, wondering if it was the source of all his power.

"Sasuke?"

The Uchiha cursed under his breath, wondering why he had to meet Shikamaru of all people at a time like this. He immediately turned away, pulling up the collar of his jacket to disguise the botton half of his face. "Er, no sorry." He deepened his voice, hoping Shikamaru wouldn't notice.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Shikamaru skeptically asked, raising an eyebrow as he took a seat next to him. "I'm actually quiet offended if you really thought you could fool me with that."

Sasuke stayed silent for a minute. "What happens to us now?" He warily asked, glancing at the lazy genius next to him. "Does this make us enemies?"

"That's a good question." Shikamaru said, closing his eyes as he leaned back onto the bench. "If you mean to ask us if we're still friends, then the answer is no, we are not enemies. I speak for Kiba, Neji and even Gaara as well when I say that we do not harbor any hard feelings for you." He paused. "But if you mean that in terms of this mission, they the answer is maybe. We have different goals that might clash with each other in the end."

"What a shame." Sasuke nonchalantly commented, looking up at the starless city sky.

Shikamaru lazily opened an eye to observe him. "But maybe not for long. I can't be sure right now, but I'm looking into something that might reverse our position on this mission." He slowly said. Sasuke looked back at him surprise. "Don't think that you're the only ones with a conscience." Shikamaru bemusedly added.

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't care if you switch sides or not." He lied, but the other boy's smirk told him that he knew better than to believe his blatant lies.

"I have to admit though, even I wasn't expecting you to fall in love with our target." Shikamaru slyly said, enjoying Sasuke's surprised look.

"I am not in love." Sasuke flatly denied. "You may be a genius when it comes to technical things Shikamaru, but I see that you're not so skilled when it comes to reading other people's emotions. Even Kiba's better at that than you."

"You're right." Shikamaru agreed, much to his surprise. "Which is why I didn't jump to any conclusions. Kiba was the one who told us that he could tell that you were in love with her."

Sasuke froze, unable to come up with an excuse for that. He hated having discussions with the lazy genius- he never felt like he could win against him. "Whatever." He childishly answered, averting his eyes away. "You can believe whatever you want to believe."

"Denial is not your best friend, Sasuke." Shikamaru said, shaking his head. "But I'm not going to be the one to try and convince you otherwise. It's too troublesome."

"So you're going to talk to me about love but you're not going to ask me about what happened yesterday?" Sasuke asked, looking slightly amused. "That's not like you, Shikamaru. Maybe you're losing your touch."

"I won't bother. Even if I asked, I don't think you'd have the answers." Shikamaru said with a shrug. The Uchiha realized that he was right.

"Who do you think _does _have the answers?" Sasuke curiously asked.

"I have a feeling that the answers will come to us even if we don't look for them." Shikamaru answered cryptically, before getting up on his feet. "Well Sasuke, I should head back to headquarters before they start freaking out about my absence. You should get back too. Knowing you, you probably rushed out of the house as soon as you woke up. Sakura's probably going to want to talk to you."

Sasuke didn't answer him. Sometimes he hated how Shikamaru could read him like an open book.

When the genius disappeared from sight, Sasuke got to his feet with a quiet sigh.

It was time to go back home.

.

.

* * *

.

.

A few days later, Shikamaru called for a meeting in their headquarters.

"I don't see the point of trying to plan anything out. It's obvious that we're never going to finish this stupid mission." Kiba muttered in a disgruntled voice, sitting down on the couch. He warily looked across at their leader, who looked equally as tired as he was.

"I hate to say it, but Kiba's right." Neji agreed with a nod. "It seems to be that she has ultimate healing powers along with everything else. Trying to eliminate her at this point seems to be impossible, unless you have an ultimate plan." He continued, expectantly looking up at Shikamaru.

The genius shook his head. "I'm afraid we're going to have to discontinue this mission." He solemnly stated, earning a surprised look from the remaining members of their team. "I have discovered new information that unfortunately does not play out in our favor."

Gaara's eyes briefly flickered, but his mouth didn't open.

"Does this have to do with the fact that you've been locking yourself up in your room for nearly a week?" Kiba curiously asked, his eyebrows furrowing into a frown.

Shikamaru nodded in response. "I spent these past nights hacking into Sound Corporation's database. It seems to be that Orochimaru has personally issued orders to have us eliminated as well as soon as we finish this mission. It looks like it doesn't really matter if we are able to complete this mission or not- either way, we'll die."

Neji's eyes lightened up. "So we've been tricked all along. Orochimaru never planned to forgive us for leaving the mission three years ago."

"We can't know for sure. You might be right, or it might be that we know too much. Either way, our best chances of survival lie with joining up with Sakura. I think she has close allies that are already working against Orochimaru right now as we speak." Shikamaru explained.

"So we finally have an excuse to quit this mission for good." Kiba said, looking relieved. "But how did you know Shikamaru?"

"I had a hunch from the very beginning." Shikamaru answered him with a shrug. "I never bothered to really look into it, but when we found out that we were being watched by Sai, I began suspecting that there were more things about this mission that Orochimaru wasn't telling us. I guess I was right in the end."

Neji's eyes narrowed. "Then we will have to contact Sakura's allies right away."

"Can't we just walk away from it all?" Kiba spoke up, looking concerned. "I have a feeling that this is going to get ugly real soon. Do we really have to get involved? Can't we just pretend it never happened and leave them to fight it out?"

"If Sakura loses, we die." Neji simply answered him. "By joining her side, we are increasing the chances of our survival."

"Fair enough." Kiba grumbled under his breath.

Oh, how the tables had turned.

.

.

* * *

.

.

"This is going to be epic." Naruto said with a mouthful of chips. "It's going to be a huge showdown, just like in the movies."

Sakura frowned in disapproval. "Swallow your food before you speak, Naruto." She scolded him, with a light smack to the head. "And this isn't a movie Naruto. The good guys don't always win in real life, which is why we have to plan this seriously."

The blond sheepishly grinned up at her, rubbing his head. "I know, I know! I was trying to lighten up the mood. Everyone's so serious here." He gestured towards the living room of the Akatsuki headquarters, which was more packed than usual. "Right Sasuke-teme?" He looked over towards his best friend for some support.

Sasuke did not hear him- he was too busy lost in his own thoughts. Why weren't his powers manifesting at his own will? How had he unleashed them on that fateful day? He had tried numerous times to activate his powers, carefully following Sakura's instructions, but nothing had happened. He was secretly pleased to see that Naruto hadn't succeeded either, but it all came down to the fact that they wouldn't be able to protect Sakura if they couldn't learn to exercise their powers soon.

Sakura took a seat next to him. "Are you still worried about _that_?" She quietly asked him, startling him out of his thoughts. "I told you that you don't have to worry."

His fists clenched. "I have to become stronger." He muttered, turning away from her. "You wouldn't understand."

She wanted to tell him that she _did _understand, but she had a feeling that he would not listen to her no matter what she said at that moment.

It didn't help much that Uchiha Itachi, who happened to be his older brother, was in the same room. Sakura had never thought of it- the only time she had heard Sasuke's last name had been on his first day at school when Neji had introduced them to the class. Back then, she hadn't bothered to pay attention to small details, especially last names. Her jaw had dropped open when Naruto had finally told her about his rocky relationship with his older brother.

_"I'm the last living heir of my family." _She remembered Sasuke saying once.

Apparently no one knew the details that surrounded the Uchiha mystery- neither sibling ever bothered to talk about it. All Naruto knew was that Sasuke's only goal in life was to kill older brother- something that chilled her bones. She could tell that he was making a huge effort to put his hatred aside for the sake of protecting her- at least for now. She just hoped that Itachi would do the same.

Although none of the members of the Akatsuki were exactly innocent, good-hearted people, Itachi had never struck her as someone capable of such dark acts. Killing and torturing strangers was one matter- killing off your entire family was on an entire different level. Itachi had always been polite and quiet, despite the dark aura that surrounded him. He had never resorted to violence unless it was necessary- unlike Hidan who enjoyed torturing people for the pure entertainment value of it all. Someone like Itachi would have to have a good reason for killing off all his flesh and blood- but she couldn't think of a good enough reason to _ever _massacre your entire family. Sakura had always harboured a bit of distaste towards her parents for having abandoned her, but even if she was to meet them again, she would never think to kill them. She suspected that there was an extremely dark secret that surrounded the Uchiha clan- one that the world wasn't ready to learn of yet.

"What are we waiting for?" Deidara loudly complained from the couch, flipping through random tv channels. "I thought you gathered us here for a reason." He added, glancing at the boy with the dark sunglasses.

"I did." Shino said in his deep voice, nodding at the blond. "However, we are still missing certain people."

Sakura glanced around at the room. All eight members of the Akatsuki were present. Naruto and Sasuke were there. Shino was there. Who else were they missing? Had Shino recruited more allies during these past days? But who in their right mind would become her ally at such a critical time?

"Don't even try to understand what's going through his head." Kisame grumbled under his breath. "He's been driving us crazy for these past few days. It's impossible to get anything out of him at all."

"Whose decision was it to make our headquarters a fucking ballroom?" Hidan crudely said, looking extremely irritated. Apparently being cramped on the couch in between Kakuzu and Zetsu was not his idea of fun.

"Well it's not like we can have meetings in public," Sakura shot back.

"Looks like someone's on their period." Hidan sneered at her. Sakura was about to get on her feet to punch Hidan through the wall into his own room, when the front door burst open, effectively stopping her.

"I hope we're not interrupting anything." Kiba's voice sheepishly floated into the room.

Naruto's head snapped upwards to stare at them.

"Chill out, we're not here to attack you." Shikamaru followed in after Kiba, setting his laptop case down on the floor.

"We're here to help." Neji added, closing the door behind him. "Due to certain circumstances, we've been forced to abandon our mission."

"Are we supposed to buy their bullshit?" Hidan asked in disbelief.

"I agree with Hidan." Kakuzu said with a nod, turning towards the new trio. "How can we be sure that they are not just pretending to do so in order to infiltrate us? I thought you were smarter than that, Aburame. I wouldn't be surprised if they joined our meetings and reported everything back to Orochimaru afterwards."

Naruto's face turned red in anger. "They wouldn't do that!" He shouted furiously. "I won't allow you talk about my friends in that manner." His eyes narrowed to glare at the dark-skinned man. Everyone turned towards Sakura, as if they were expecting her to give them an answer.

"They're okay to stay." She quietly answered. "I'll take full responsibility if this decision turns around to bite us in the ass."

"If she says she'll take the responsibility for it, we should just go along with it." Sasori said with a sigh. "Can we just get on with the meeting now that we're all here? We don't have much time to waste."

Shino nodded, looking solemn.

"We will attack first thing tomorrow morning."

.

.

* * *

.

.

**OMAKE**

**Side Story**

**Always**

**.**

**.**

**.**

_2 YEARS AGO_

"You guys are too bo-ring." Deidara whined in an irritated tone, making sure to prolong his last word in emphasis. He paced back and forth around the room in agitation. "How is it that we have absolutely _nothing_ to do today?"

"Leader decided to let us rest for today." Sasori stoically answered, not bothering to look at his partner.

"He calls this _rest_?" Deidara cried, finally launching himself onto the couch in frustration. "How the hell is this rest? We're all clearly bored out of our minds." He added, gesturing around at the room. Kisame cracked an eye open to observe the flailing young man in front of him.

"I can help you rest if you want." The blue-skinned man growled threateningly, holding up his fist.

Deidara felt himself shrink.

"Screw this, I'm going for a walk, hn." He muttered, sliding his coat onto his slim figure. Shoving his hands deep into his pockets, he left the headquarters, muttering to himself about fish and dolls as he walked towards the bus stop. He would go downtown for awhile- maybe getting a couple of drinks would take his mind off of things.

The bus ride was going to be long- he inwardly groaned when it started to rain. Why couldn't it have rained before? At least he would have taken an umbrella with him. Now he was going to be stuck downtown without an umbrella in the pouring rain. His day was just getting better and better.

Deidara always detested rainy days. They brought back memories that he had desperately tried to forget- events that had brought him to where he was now, a member of the Akatsuki.

Who were they really? People pictured members of the feared organization to be merciless monsters, but in reality they were just lonely people who didn't have anything left to lose. No friends, no family and no place to call home.

They depended on each other.

People who were left with nothing in company of other people who didn't have anything either.

A perfect match.

He sighed- what a pathetic existance. He looked out the widow, observing normal people go on with their daily routines. He secretly envied them- he wondered what it felt like to have to worry about everyday things such as going to work on time, having to buy groceries, having occasional nights out with friends, and everything else.

The bus briefly came to a stop as the traffic light turned red. His eyes curiously came a across a lonely girl sitting at a bench- the rain was pouring down even harder than before, but she seemed to not notice as the raindrops pelted onto her body. He stared at her in wonder- her pale emerald eyes were captivating. There was something about that them that made her look so sad and lifeless as she leaned backwards, staring up into the sky. Her soaked pink hair clung to her face as she closed her eyes, relishing the rain.

Then she abruptly stood up and started to walk away, as the bus started to move again.

Deidara didn't know why he did it- but he jumped up to his feet and quickly ran towards the front of the bus.

"Hey, stop the bus!" He yelled, banging his fist against the door.

"I'm sorry sir, you're going to have to wait for the next stop if you want to get off." The bus driver said, giving him a startled look.

"Damnit." The blonde cursed under his breath. He looked out the window- he was getting farther and farther away from her. Without hesitating, he opened the window and jumped out of the moving bus, earning a couple of shrieks from the passengers inside. "Ow." He muttered as his shoulder slammed onto the cement ground. He rubbed his arm before groggily getting back up on his feet.

His whole body still ached from the impact, but he forced his legs to run as rapidly as he could as made his way back towards where he had seen the pink haired girl barely a minute ago. She was gone, but it wasn't too late to find her. He had seen her turn left, and the only thing that was to the left was the bridge that headed towards the east side of town.

He finally spotted her.

She was standing on the bridge- she looked even more mesmerizing up close. Her arms carelessly dangled over the edge as she dangerously leaned over the metal railings. She turned around to stare at him at the sound of his approaching footsteps. A broken smile graced her lips.

He thought it was the most beautiful thing he ever saw.

Everything that happened within the next minute all moved in slow motion in his eyes. His arm reached out to grab her, but it was far too late- she had already jumped.

His mind was completely hazy and he wasn't thinking properly. His brain screamed for him to stay still- who cared if she died? She had jumped because she wanted to die- who was he to stop her from achieving her goal? However, this was a rare instant in which his heart didn't want to listen to his brain. Without thinking, he dived in right after her, his stomach doing weird flips as he watched her frail figure crash into the depths of the river right before him.

His own body hit the icy cold water less than a second later. He strained to open his eyes, ignoring the way the water made them sting. He could faintly make out the color of her pink hair darkened by the murky water just a short distance from him. His body was raked by fear as he saw that she was unmoving; he wasn't sure if it ws because she had been knocked unconscious or she just didn't want to move- he didn't want to wait to find out either.

He forced his legs to swim towards to the girl. His muscles burned but he ignored the pain, reaching his hand out to grasp the pale arm floating right in front of him. His hand wrapped around her wrist, and he briefly noted that she was unhealthily thin.

He had no difficulties in supporting her weight as he swam upwards to bring them to the surface. Countless missions for the Akatsuki had shaped his body into what it was now- yet for the first time, instead of killing someone, he was _saving a life_.

He broke into a fit of coughs as soon as his head emerged, trying to gulp in as much air as he could. Being alive had never felt so good before; he had never been so grateful for air.

He quickly dragged her limp body to the surface, letting out a sigh relief when he saw her cough out the water from her lungs. She blinked a couple of times as she tried to make out her surroundings. Her eyes narrowed when she realized that she was still alive.

"What the hell are you doing?" She spat out, looking furious. It took a minute for him to realize that she was actually _angry _at him for saving her life.

"Isn't that supposed to be my line?" Deidara snapped back, growing immediately irritated. "What the hell were you thinking, jumping off a bridge like that? Is that the way to thank someone who almost died saving you?"

"No one asked you to jump in after me!" She shouted, scrambling away from him. "Why didn't you just let me _die_?"

He threw his head back, letting out a sinister laugh. "I must look like an idiot right now." He said slowly. "It was wrong of me to dive in after you. I should have just let you die. It was none of my business, I'm sorry." He got up to his feet, straightening out his soaked clothes. "I'll be off then. Good luck with your next attempt, I hope you'll succeed this time." He turned his back towards her and started to walk away.

"D...don't..."

Her voice was barely above a whisper, and it was hard to hear under the pouring rain- but he heard her loud and clear.

He whirled around to stare at her. Looking into her eyes, he realized that she was just like him. Like the others. She had nowhere to go and no one to go to.

A warm smile overcame his face, and he stretched his hand out towards her tiny frame.

"I'm Deidara."

He held her hand and never let it go.

Suddenly, it wasn't cold anymore.

.

.

"I thought you were going to take a walk, not going to a brothel." Sasori commented with a raised eyebrow when Deidara returned to the headquarters with a little pink haired girl in tow. "Aren't you a bit too young to be selling your body?" He added, taking in the girl's young appearance. The girl hid behind Deidara's much taller form, scowling at the red haired boy.

"She's not a prostitute!" Deidara spluttered, turning red.

"Ah, yes." Sasori agreed, nodding his head. "I forgot. You're probably not going to lose your virginity until you're forty."

Deidara's face turned even redder. "What do you know? I might not be a virgin at all." He snapped, turning his face away.

"I doubt it. You act like a typical virgin." Kisame said with a frown, observing the pink haired girl from the couch. "How old are you anyways, Pinky?"

The pink haired girl's eyes widened at his nickname for her. "I'm sixteen." She managed to answer, as Deidara patted her head. "My birthday was a few weeks ago."

"Well I hope you guys don't mind her because I'll be keeping her here." Deidara cautiously said, waiting for their reactions.

Kisame's jaws dropped open. "Are you kidding me? We're not some charity organization Blondie. As much as we'd love to, we don't take in little orphaned kids. We can only take people if they're worthy and strong enough to be part of our organization." He said sternly, looking at the younger girl. "And she definitely doesn't look like she can even be considered as a nominated member."

"I'm strong!" The pink haired girl loudly said with a pout.

"I'm sure you are." Deidara sadly said, patting her head.

"I can demonstrate for you, if you want." She hopefully said, looking up at him with her big apple green orbs. He didn't have the heart to say no- and he cast a warning glare towards both Kisame and Sasori, as if he dared them to say no.

"Fine." Sasori said with a sigh, setting his book down. "It's not like we have anything better to do anyways."

"I can't do it in here though." The little girl said thoughtfully. "We'll have to go outside."

Sasori raised an eyebrow but did not ask any more questions.

The group of three grown men followed her outside into a nearby alleyway. Thankfully, the rain had stopped awhile ago. Kisame sighed in frustration, crossing his arms. "This is great and everything, but what are you going to do Pinky? Kick the trashcan over or something?"

The little girl smirked at him. She retracted her fist- ("What the hell? You're going to break your hand if you punch the wall!") -and before any of the three could stop her, she slammed her tiny little fist onto the red bricks. The wall immediately crumbled within contact- not just a small hole- the _entire thing_ crumbled down.

Kisame's jaw dropped open. Sasori simply looked impressed.

Deidara's eyes widened, before his face split into a beaming grin.

"Well I guess she's okay to join, right?"

.

.

Kisame was in quite the good mood today- he had an amazing nap and Sasori had even let him take over the tv for awhile. Deidara was in such a good mood about taking the pink haired girl in that he had agreed to make Kisame a sandwich- as much as the blond was an idiot, he was a pretty good cook.

He took a seat at the kitchen table, and took a bite into the sandwich waiting for him on a clean plate.

He froze.

"Deidara… did you put _tuna _in here?"

Everyone in the house knew not to put fish in Kisame's food.

_Everyone. _

The annoying pink haired girl (who had introduced herself as Haruno Sakura) poked her head into the kitchen, giving him a funny look.

"Are you feeling guilty because you're eating your own kin?"

"… I take what I said back. I'm not sure if I want you with us anymore Pinky- can we vote again?"

.

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* * *

.

.

_Oh, your heart may long for love that is more near,_

_So when I'm gone these words will be here._

_To ease every fear,_

_And dry up every tear,_

_To make it very clear_

_I kiss you and I know_

_It is love_

_From the first time I press my lips against yours,_

_Thinking _

_"Oh, is it love?" _

.

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	12. ocean avenue

**.**

**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED**

**stfuSPARKS**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or 'Ocean Avenue' by Yellowcard :)._

_A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my wonderful beta, Charlie (known as tarzi-kins on ff!). It was her birthday yesterday, so- Happy Birthday! :3 Thank you always and lots of love to you._

* * *

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**XII.**

**Ocean Avenue **

"_We could leave this town,_

_And run forever._

_Let your waves crash down on me,_

_And take me away." _

_._

_._

_._

"Tomorrow morning?" Sakura repeated in disbelief, as her apple green orbs widened. "So fast?"

Shino nodded towards her direction. "It might be a little fast, but it's going to be the most advantageous moment for us to strike. They've just lost their strongest assets-" He glanced towards the six boys gathered together in a corner. "- and we shouldn't give them enough time to gather replacements. They won't be expecting us if we attack tomorrow."

Itachi nodded, stepping forwards. Sakura felt Sasuke stiffen up next to her, but apart from that he showed no other signs of his hatred. "I agree with Aburame. We have gathered more than enough people for us to carry on with the attack. We might even be able to outnumber them if we're lucky."

"So are we going to directly attack Sound Corporation's building?" Tobi spoke up, sounding excited. "A direct attack would be fun!"

Shino shook his head. "We can't just march in through the front doors and start a fight. We're going to have to infiltrate the building and take them out one by one. I trust Shikamaru to help us with that."

The lazy genius sitting in the corner patted his laptop bag. "I can provide you with the blueprints for the entire building. If you give me a couple of hours, I might even be able to find out how to deactivate most of the alarms inside." He said, nodding his head. Shino looked quite impressed.

"We're going to have to separate into teams if we don't want to get caught. Moving as an entire group would catch way too much attention, and it would be too difficult to manage." Shino explained, pulling out a large sheet of paper. He motioned for everyone to gather around.

"So what team am I going to be in?" Sakura asked curiously.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, looking at her strangely. "You're obviously not going, Sakura. You're the one they want- you have to stay somewhere safe."

"What?" She cried. "That's unfair! There's no way I'm letting you guys risk your necks for me while I sit back and relax!" She protested, giving Sasuke an extremely sour look. "Plus, your chances of bringing Orochimaru down will be so much stronger with me on your side."

"I hate to admit it, but she's right." Kiba piped up, cringing as the Uchiha whirled around to glare at him. "We're going to need Sakura with us if we want to win. You've seen her in action, you know how strong she is. Just try to trust her strength."

"If we were to follow your instructions, you would have to sit out too." Neji pointed out. "You and Naruto both clearly manifested powers similar to Sakura's. It's naive of us to think that Orochimaru wasn't informed of this new development. You might as well have a big fat red target painted onto your chest."

"Sakura's friends are pretty smart." Deidara muttered to Sasori.

"No, you're just clearly stupid." Sasori nonchalantly commented back, earning a glare from his partner.

Sasuke's scowl did not disappear. "Then I want to be put into Sakura's same team." He stated flatly, crossing his arms.

"Absolutely not." Shino answered him, pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. Sasuke opened his mouth to retort, but the other boy cut him off before he could. "You, Sakura and Naruto will be put into separate teams. We cannot ignore the chances of any of you being caught- we cannot risk losing two of you at once. It will also be easier to protect each one of you."

"We don't need to be protected!" Naruto exclaimed indignantly, jumping up to his feet.

"Stop being a brat and just listen to what he's fucking saying." Hidan cursed, starting to look irritated. "You're not playing around with teenagers anymore, brat. You're going to be working with adults now- so learn to fucking follow directions when they're given to you."

"You're hardly the one to talk." Kakuzu said next to him, rolling his eyes. "You may be almost thirty years old but that doesn't mean you act like it."

Sakura could feel disaster coming their way- Kakuzu and Hidan were impossible to stop once they started to get into their little spats. "So how should we divide the teams?" She quickly rushed, hoping she was still in time to prevent one. She quietly let out a sigh of relief when Hidan and Kakuzu both turned around listen to the group arrangements.

"Right now, we are a total of sixteen people." Shino started to say, writing each of their names down on the piece of paper laid out in front of him. "Eight members of the Akatsuki, six professional assassins, Sakura and myself. We will be dividing ourselves into three different groups- we will simply call them Team Sakura, Team Sasuke and Team Naruto."

Naruto nodded enthusiastically- he was enjoying the attention.

"Shikamaru and I will stay back at the headquarters and work the computers, helping you along the way. You will each be given an earpiece so that we can communicate with each other at all times." Shino continued. "As for the rest of you- we first have to determine what kind of people we have. Neji, Kiba, Sasuke and Naruto are obviously long-range fighters- they are most experienced in dealing with guns."

"Sasuke and Neji are really good at close-range combat as well." Kiba interrupted him. "You might want to take that into consideration."

"I am aware of that, but we'll have to generalize for now." Shino answered slowly. "The rest of the Akatsuki are all obviously talented in both ranges of combat. Sakura only knows how to engage in close-range combat- we don't have enough time to each her how to deal with guns." He looked up to glance at the men in the black and red cloaks. "If I'm not mistaken, each of you are partnered up with the person who is most suited to your talents."

Deidara nodded. "I'm usually partnered up with Sasori." He explained. "Then it's Kisame and Itachi, Hidan and Kakuzu, and Tobi and Zetsu."

"We will try to keep those arrangements then." Shino said with a nod. "Kiba and Neji will have to be separated into one of those groups."

"When I was in the Akatsuki, I was put into a three-man cell with Deidara and Sasori." Sakura spoke up, looking thoughtful. "I think it'll be best if I was put into that same team. We know how to work around each other, so we should make a good group."

It took them approximately half an hour to finalize their group arrangements. Not everyone was happy, but Shino insisted that it was in their best interest. The groups had been divided into the following:

Team Sakura: Deidara, Sasori and Tobi.

Team Sasuke: Hidan, Kakuzu, and Zetsu.

Team Naruto: Itachi, Kisame, Kiba and Neji.

To say that Sasuke was not extremely happy with the arrangements was the understatement of the year: the boy was _furious. _Sakura couldn't help but feel slightly guilty that she couldn't make him happy- but it was for the best.

"Your brother is a brat." Kisame flatly stated, staring at the younger Uchiha. "He reminds me of you."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to take that as an insult?" He asked with a smirk. "My Kisame, you're disappointing me. I expected something stronger coming from you."

Kisame ignored the elder Uchiha's obvious jab. "He seems to hate you." The blue-skinned man remarked. "Are you going to tell me why?"

"No."

"Eh I guess I don't really care." Kisame said with a shrug. His gaze turned solemn as he looked at the pink haired girl. "I guess I'll stop beating around the bush. I know he's your brother and everything, but I won't hesitate to break his skinny little body in half if he makes her cry."

"I don't know about that." Itachi said with a slightly amused smirk on his face. "She might be the one to make him cry first."

"Yeah, probably." Kisame snorted, watching the said pink haired girl smack Deidara on the head for something he said.

.

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* * *

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.

"Sakura..."

The pink haired girl looked up at Neji in surprise. He had been obviously avoiding her ever since their little "Kill me" incident on the school grounds around a week ago. He would refuse to even meet her gaze. She was a little confused- she didn't blame him in the least. After all, she had been the one to shove a gun into his hands with the orders to kill her.

However for the first time, Neji had approached her first. He motioned for her to follow him into the deserted kitchen, away from all the chaos in the living room. She curiously followed him, taking a seat when he did the same.

"I didn't know if it was appropriate for me to mention this." He said, carefully thinking out his words. "But I thought you should know since you were so close to him."

Sakura's heart missed a beat. "What are you talking about?" She asked him.

"It's about Sai." He explained. "The reason Shikamaru, Kiba and I left was because we found out that Orochimaru was planning to dispose of us even if we managed to complete the mission. Shikamaru found another name listed along ours... it was Sai. Orochimaru is planning on getting rid of Sai as well. I wasn't sure whether we should warn him or not, which is why I'm talking to you first."

Sakura was silent for a minute, deep in thought. She knew that Sai had befriended her only for the sake of the mission- but it didn't stop her from thinking back on all the times in which he had helped her. Maybe he hadn't realized it- but no matter what, he had been extremely important to her. She couldn't know how he would react if she tried to warn him- there were clearly going to be two results. Either he would turn against her, or he would listen to her. Was it worth the risk?

"It's up to you." Neji said, interrupting her thoughts. "I'm not going to tell you what's wrong and what's right. You're the one who's known Sai the longest- I will trust your judgement in this."

Sakura's eyes widened in realization. "If I warn him, it has to be right now." She whispered. "Because by tomorrow it'll be too late."

Neji nodded. "I can take you to his house if you want to warn him, but it's now or never."

Sakura nodded, finally making up her mind. "Let's leave right now." She said, getting back up on her feet. "It shouldn't be too far from here. We can go there and be back within an hour if we hurry up."

She quickly rushed out of the kicthen to grab her jacket. She would have to hurry if she didn't want to waste precious time.

"Where are you going, Sakura-chan?" Naruto inquired out loud, causing a couple of people around her to turn around in curiosity. She cursed under her breath- leave it to Naruto to draw unwanted attention towards her at the wrong time.

"I'm just going out to buy something at the convenience store with Neji." She replied, forcing a smile onto her face.

Deidara tilted his head to the side. "What do you need? We probably have it in here. We're pretty well-stocked, y'know?" He called out to her. She mentally slapped herself on the forehead. She knew a couple of people who weren't going to be too happy if they found out her real intentions- Sai's speciality was definitely not making friends.

Neji grabbed her by the arm. "Sakura-san needs... female supplies. I'm sure you don't have those here." He said stoically, dragging her towards the front door. Sakura's face turned bright red at his statement- it was a good excuse, but couldn't he have thought of anything better? Deidara momentarily spluttered and promptly shut up.

"Why would she tell Neji that she needs pads?" Naruto thought out loud as they quickly exited the headquarters. No one had an answer for him.

Sakura was thankful that the walk to Sai's house was fairly short. She wasn't sure if she felt grateful or absolutely mortified- she opted for the former. There was an awkward silence surrounding them as they made their way down the street. She had never been alone with Neji before, and she found herself at a loss of words when no one else was with them. 'Isn't the weather nice?' seemed too much of a poor excuse to start a conversation.

However, she would be lying if she said that the presence of the tall boy next to her wasn't comforting as she loudly knocked on Sai's door.

Sakura had never been to Sai's house before. She knew his address and his home phone number, but now that she thought back on it she had never bothered to visit. Sai had always used the excuse that his parents were very traditional and did not allow him to bring girls home, so she had never been suspicious- but after learning about Sai's true identity, and standing before the modern apartment, she suspected that Sai lived alone and did not have any parents.

Her heart pounded as she waited for him to open the door. It was the first time she was facing him ever since they had drifted apart a couple of days ago- and she wasn't sure how the new Sai was going to react to her. She realized that the Sai she had known for these entire three years had probably been a false mask worn to fool her. It terrified her to think that she didn't know who the real Sai was.

The door swung open, revealing a shirtless Sai who was rubbing at his wet hair with a towel. He had been taking a shower- that would explain why it had taken him so long to answer. She expected him to be shocked, or at least startled- but his face was completely blank as he stared down at her nervous face.

"Sakura."

His voice was flat and curt. She wasn't sure what to think of this Sai- he had always been a bit stiff and unable to socially interact well with others, but this was like seeing those features amplified by ten.

"Sai, I need to talk to you about something important." Sakura blurted out, averting her eyes away from him. "Do you mind if we come in? I promise we won't take more than ten minutes of you time."

The pale boy wordlessly stepped away from the door, waiting for them to come inside. "I wasn't expecting any visitors, so I don't have any tea." He said politely, shutting the front door behind them. "I can offer you some water if you'd like."

Sakura shook her head. "It's okay, we'll be on our way out as soon as we finish talking." She said, nervously looking towards Neji.

"I must say Sakura, I've been by your side for three entire years and you've proven to be a smart girl." Sai said thoughtfully, sitting down on the couch. "But coming to my house with only one person to accompany you wasn't very smart of you. Why would you even come near me now that you know I'm not on your side?"

Sakura sighed, wondering how she would put this into words. "Orochimaru isn't the person you think she is." She rushed, hoping that he would listen to her. "Neji and the others quit their mission because they found out that he's planning on eliminating them as soon as the mission's over. He's planning on doing the same with you- you have to leave while you can."

Sai stayed quiet for a minute, contemplating over her words. "Why would you help me after finding out that I've been betraying you for the past three years?" He asked her curiously.

"I don't know." She honestly replied. "Maybe I want to believe that even if you were tricking me, there's a small part of you that actually treasures me as much as I treasure you."

"I hope you're not expecting me to join you in your attempt to defeat Orochimaru." Sai said quietly, looking straight at her. "I can't do that for you."

"So does that mean that you'll be fighting against us?" Neji asked him, speaking to the other boy for the first time since they had entered the house.

"No." Sai said, shaking his head. "I will not aid Orochimaru in any way. I will probably leave though. Go into hiding until all of this is over."

Sakura felt a sigh of relief leave her body. It didn't matter if he wasn't going to help her- as long as she wouldn't have to fight against him, it was going to be alright. The thought of having to fight him had plagued her for a couple of nights now. "Good." She breathed as a smile graced her lips. "At least we won't have to fight each other when the time comes." She stretched her arms, feeling a lot lighter than when she had walked into his house. "We'll take our leave now. Try to say safe."

She stood back up again and motioned for Neji to follow her towards the front door.

"Sakura."

She turned around to face Sai one more time.

"I am usually not good with emotions. I cannot fully comprehend them and usually do not know how to interact well with other people. It makes it easier for me to put a mask on, which makes me an ideal choice for an undercover mission." He paused. "But not everything that I said up until now was a lie. Maybe we will meet again one day."

She sadly smiled in return.

"Well definitely meet again Sai."

He smiled back at her. It was his usual fake smile, but she knew that he was trying.

"Maybe the next time we meet, we'll be real friends."

.

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* * *

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.

"Don't ever pull a stunt like that again."

Sakura looked up in surprise to see Sasuke leaning over her crouched form on the floor. She had just returned from her little adventure with Neji (they decided that no one else really had to necessarily know) and was currently in the process of discussing combat strategies with her new team.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura lied, hoping that he wasn't talking about what she thought.

"I know that you went to visit Sai with Neji." Sasuke hissed into her ear, making sure that no one else overheard their conversation. "You're underestimating my observation skills, Sakura. I know a lot more than you'd think."

"Oh." Sakura couldn't think of anything else to say in her defense.

He sighed, looking defeated. "Sakura, I'm not here to tell you that what you did was wrong, but I just want you to tell me the next time you put yourself in danger like that, so at least I can go with you." He shot a disdainful glance towards his team. "I have to go back and plan things out with my team now, but I'll check up on you again soon." His hand lightly ghosted over her neck before he walked away.

"So are you in love with him or something?"

Sakura nearly choked on her own spit at Deidara's dry remark. He raised an eyebrow at her clear discomfort to his question. "What are you talking about?" She spluttered as her face turned red.

"Well the tension between the two of you is pretty obvious." Deidara said with a shrug, leaning back to let Sasori and Tobi discuss their strategies. "I may not be the smartest guy of the bunch but damn Sakura, I'm not that dense."

Sakura shook her head, pretending to busy herself with the blueprints of the building. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said brusquely, turning her back to him. "If you have the time to think up such bullshit, you should concentrate more on helping us out." She admonished, hoping that he wouldn't notice how her cheeks were still tinted pink.

Knowing that he probably wouldn't be able to get more out of her for the time being, he shook his head in exasperation and turned back to join the discussion with Sasori and Tobi.

Sakura distracted herself by thinking about the task that lay before them. Depending on the turnout of tomorrow's actions, they would either be celebrating until they dropped dead, or they would _literally_ bedead.

They were a formidable force to be reckoned with, that was for sure. Yet while the unusual alliance between the Akatsuki, the Shinobi assassins, Shino and herself was indeed extremely intimidating, she knew better than to underestimate their opponent. She had never met Orochimaru before- she hadn't even heard of him, but she was aware of what the Sound Corporation was. She had come across many of their minions during her stay in the Akatsuki (like Kin and her lackeys) and while she hated to admit it, they had been pretty hard to defeat.

Itachi had admitted that Sound's ultimate downfall would be advantageous to the Akatsuki- Sound Corporation had been a pain in their side for as long as they could remember.

Sakura was also sure that while Shino hadn't been lying to her about being interested in the origins of her powers, there was an ulterior motive behind his actions. To an avid observer, it was obvious that even though he hid his emotions well, he held a deep grudge for Orochimaru for reasons unknown. She didn't bother to question him though- he would share it with her if he wanted to. The important part was that they were on the same, no matter what the reasons were.

"We're going to have to watch out for Kabuto." Sasori muttered, looking intensely at the blueprint in front of them. "I fought him once, he's stronger than he looks."

"Tobi will try to help his senpais in any way he can!" The masked boy piped up, punching his fist into the air. "Just leave it to Tobi!"

Deidara sighed in frustration. "You're still a newbie at this Tobi. You should consider yourself lucky that we're even taking you with us, so try not to get yourself killed in the process."

Sakura felt nostalgic just at the sight of them discussing. It felt like she was back in the old days, when they had been an actual team. She felt something tug at her heart- she hoped that she wasn't dragging them into danger. She knew that her boys in the Akatsuki were all capable of taking care of themselves, and she didn't doubt that Sasuke and his friends were strong as well, but she couldn't drive out the thought of the guilt that would plague her if anything happened to them tomorrow.

"You don't have to worry." Sasori's voice interrupted her thoughts. She whirled around to face the stoic red haired boy who was looking at her strangely. "Everyone's going to be fine. It's going to be a tough battle and some of us might get hurt but I trust everyone to make it out safe."

Sakura gave him a warm smile. Despite his usually cold exterior, Sasori had a way with words in certain situations like these. She knew that it was his way of comforting her. "I know." She said softly, lowering her gaze. "But I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to any of you."

"Way to be a fucking spoilsport, Pinky."

She looked up in surprise as Hidan threw an arm around her shoulders in a brotherly fashion. "None of us are going to die. You can stop being so pessimistic now."

"Were you doubting us?" Kakuzu said, his eyes menacingly narrowing.

Sakura thanked god when Naruto jumped to his feet, just in time to save her from having to deal with Kakuzu's short temper. "I can't take this anymore!" He whined, as his blue eyes looked around this room. "I can't believe you guys don't have ramen in this place!"

"Some of us actually like to eat healthy." Deidara shot, rolling his eyes.

"Ramen is perfectly good for the body!" Naruto said frowning. "And I refuse to continue with all this 'planning' until I get some ramen. I'm going to the convenience store to get some." As if to prove his point, he pulled on his jacket and headed towards the front door.

"Just make sure you come back as soon as you get your ramen. Don't stop to mess around." Neji warned him.

"Yeah, yeah I know." Naruto replied, rolling his eyes. "Don't you worry about me, oh great Captain-sama." With a wink, he disappeared out the door.

"Naruto and his ramen." Kiba said with a sigh. "It'll be the death of him one day."

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* * *

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.

Naruto involuntarily shivered as he stepped out into the cold winter night, wishing that he had worn something more suitable for this weather. Quickening his pace, he rapidly made his way down the poorly lit street. The dirty run down street lamps didn't do much to help his line of vision. If his memory served right, there was a small convenience store about two blocks away from the Akatsuki headquarters; if he was fast enough, he would be able to buy his ramen and make it back within the next ten minutes.

"When Sakura-chan wants to go to the convenience store, everyone wants to go with her. When I say I need to go, no one even volunteers." He muttered under his breath, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. It would have been nice to have some company, especially when the streets were completely devoid of human life. This area of the city was mainly uninhabited, making it an ideal place for the Akatsuki to reside in. The fact that it was somewhere in between one and two in the morning was a plus as well.

He momentarily stopped as he walked by a parked car, staring at his own reflection in the window for a full minute. All he could see was a young boy with cerulean blue eyes looking back at him. Had his eyes really turned red? It was still hard for him to believe that the events a week ago had really taken place. His memories of that day were all a blur. The last thing he could clearly remember was Sakura's limp body falling to the floor with a cold thud. After that, he could vaguely remembering seeing Sasuke's skin turn black as his own vision started to turn red.

It was as if something had taken control of his mind. He would have never attacked his own friends if he had been in his right mind. Still, he had to admit that the thought of being able to overpower several infamous members of the Akatsuki pleased him a bit. Naruto had never been the best at anything, even after joining the Shinobi. Shikamaru was the genius. Kiba was the one with he impossibly heightened senses. Gaara was the one with the impeccable control. Sasuke was the one with the incredible stealth. Neji was the one with the inspiring leadership. Lee was the one with the endless stamina. Naruto? What was he good at?

But for once, he was finally the one with all the power. He had felt the immense amount of power surge through his veins, and it was incomparable to anything he'd ever felt before. He almost felt invincible- as if nothing or no one could stop him. If he could only learn how to master those powers... as cocky as it sounded, he would have the confidence to take down the entire Sound Corporation on his own.

He clenched his fists. If only he could learn how to control it...

The blond slightly jumped as he heard something crack to his right. This was why he hated the dark- it felt like the shadows were always watching him. It was so easy for someone to hide in the dark without being noticed. He contemplated on turning around and looking for the source of the noise, or just running all the way to the store.

Gathering up his courage, he turned around.

"We've been waiting for a chance to meet you alone, Naruto-kun."

The last thing he saw was the darkness surround him as his world turned black.

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* * *

.

.

Sasuke could feel the dread settling at the bottom of his stomach as he stared at the LCD screen of his cellphone for a full minute.

Luckily, no one else in the room had noticed his clear discomfort yet. He would have a hard time trying to explain this one if someone did.

_We have Naruto. Come alone if you want him to live. _

It didn't take a genius for him to figure out who the message was from, even if the caller-id was marked as anonymous. There was only one person in their current situation who would blackmail him using Naruto- the question was _how_?

How had Orochimaru known to act so quickly? Could it be possible that he was aware of their plans? The whole timing seemed a bit too good to be a coincidence. Shino was right; it was far too early for Sound to strike. They had just lost their key players in the game- it was highly impossible for them to be able to recover so quickly, but... if perhaps Orochimaru _had _caught wind of their operations, it would explain how he could have come up with a retaliation so quickly.

Sasuke mentally cursed. They had let down their guard too easily. It had been a mistake for them to think that Naruto was safe to travel alone, even if it was to go to a convenience store nearby. Leave it to the blond to let himself get caught... the only question now was: what was Sasuke going to do now?

_If only I could control my powers. _

The words repeated themselves over and over again in his head. If he had been stronger, he could've gone alone without hesitating. He wouldn't need any help at all- _he wouldn't have to put Sakura in danger. _In a situation like this, telling the others would be the ideal choice; but what would happen to Naruto then? Orochimaru wasn't known for his mercy. He wouldn't be afraid to keep his words if Sasuke didn't follow the instructions given to him.

He would have to do this alone. He couldn't risk Naruto's life- as annoying as the blond was, Sasuke had to begrudgingly admit that he was his best friend. He could only hope that his powers would somehow mysteriously activate like what had happened a week ago.

"Damnit." Sasuke cursed, and pulled on his jacket. Muttering about dobes and ramen under his breath, he tried to slip out as unnoticed as possible. The others would never let him leave alone if they knew the truth.

No one noticed as the front door slid shut with a quiet _click. _

The Sound Corporation was located in the middle of the city, towering over all the other buildings. From the outside, it looked like any other office building, but Sasuke knew better. He had been there a few times, after the Shinobi had temporarly disbanded. He had briefly worked under Orochimaru, bribed by the idea that the snake would be able to help him bring his brother down. Any Akatsuki member was definitely a difficult target to approach, but Orochimaru insisted that he could help him. It had obviously turned out to be a lie- he just wanted to use Sasuke for his own purposes. Now that he thought back on it, Sasuke had been lucky to walk away without any consequences- but then again, Orochimaru had probably been planning to reunite the six members of the Shinobi from the very beginning, for this purpose.

It would be at least a thirty minute walk from here, maybe even more. He definitely didn't have time to waste. Not feeling too guilty, he grabbed a nearby bicycle and hopped on, pumping his legs as fast as he could as he made his way down the empty streets. The cold winter air lashing on his face was far from pleasant, but it was no use complaining now.

It struck him strange that the streets were empty even as he approached the building. Even though it was late, the area around Sound Corporation was usually littered with a couple of wandering drunks at night. He was sure that this was also of Orochimaru's doing.

Slightly panting as he threw aside his bike, he walked up to the front doors which were usually locked at this time. He wasn't surprised to see that they were unlocked- several lights were stilll on inside the building. He had no doubts that they were waiting for him inside. He grimaced as his hand automatically reached for the handgun he kept hidden inside of his jacket at all times- he would probably be needing it.

He slowly opened the front door, wary of any hidden attacks that might come his way. When he was certain that nothing was going to attack him, he quickly made his way through the empty lobby. He would never admit it, but he was starting to get a little creeped out by all of it. He found himself craving for a certain pink haired girl's warmth.

He shook his head. He would end this tonight, without getting her involved.

"How nice to see you've come, Sasuke-kun."

The youngest Uchiha slightly jumped as the intercom above him came to life with a crackle. He immediately recognized the smooth voice as Orochimaru's- there was no mistaking it.

"Naruto-kun is waiting for you on the sixth floor."

Sasuke wished that this wasn't a one way conversation. He had a number of things he wanted to say to the snake- but he would have to save them for later. Naruto came first right now.

He got into the elevator, half-expecting it to explode or something. Right after pressing the button that would lead him to Naruto's location, Sasuke immediately raised his gun and shot at the small surveillance camera hanging at the corner of elevator. The thought of Orochimaru watching him on some screen made him feel sick.

"Imagine my surprise when I heard about you and Naruto displaying... interesting features." Orochimaru spoke up over the intercom again. "Don't you find it ironic that I've been hiring you to eliminate certain people only to find out that you're one of their kind as well?"

"Hardly." Sasuke muttered under his breath, as the elevator doors slid open as it came to a stop on the sixth floor. He wasn't surprised to see that most of the lights were turned off. "Damnit Naruto, why do you have to always get yourself into trouble?"

The sixth floor wasn't that vast, which made it easy for him to track his blond haired friend down. While Sasuke had only seen the offices in the Sound building, this floor was mostly empty, save for a couple of random chairs and desks scattered around. It looked like it had either been abandoned or was in the process of being rennovated. It wasn't long before he came across Naruto, bound, gagged and chained to a metal pipe that disappeared through the ceiling.

"Naruto!" He harshly called out, and immediately started by removing the piece of cloth tied around the blond's mouth.

"Sasuke-teme!" The blond immediately coughed as soon as his mouth was free. "You shouldn't have come! This is a trap!"

"Wha-?"

Sasuke barely had the time to register Naruto's words into his head before the walls around him rumbled and a metal cage dropped down over their heads.

"Thanks for walking right into my hands, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru's voice blared over the intercom once again.

Sasuke silently cursed under his breath. Mentally berating himself on how he'd been so naive as to think that he could have saved Naruto all on his own, he gripped the steel bars surrounding him. To his dismay, they didn't budge.

"Now shall we wait for Sakura-chan?"

Orochimaru's words chilled him to the bone.

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* * *

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Sakura's eyes snapped open as she bolted upright from her sleeping position on the couch. When had she fallen asleep? She looked around to see most of her current allies shuffling around the messy room. Had it all been a nightmare...? Somehow, she couldn't digest the feeling that danger was lurking sumewhere in the shadows.

"What time is it?" Her voice was still slightly scratchy from her sleep. Deidara looked up from a bunch of papers to stare at her in surprise.

"It's only five in the morning. You fell asleep while we were discussing our plans, so we'd figure we'd let you sleep awhile. You could definitely use the rest for later." He explained slowly. "You should sleep some more if you're still tired."

She shook her head in response. "I think I've slept enough."

"We'll be leaving in about two hours." Sasori told her, getting up to stretch. "Shino thinks it's a good idea for us to strike while it's still early."

Sakura was glad that she had succeeded in planning everything out with her own team before falling asleep. At least she didn't have to worry about having to catch up now. Scratching her head as she stood up, she tried to clear her head from the remaining hints of her sleep by taking a few steps around the room.

"Where's Sasuke?" She asked before she could stop herself. She blushed when Itachi raised an eyebrow at her question.

Much to Sakura's surprise, Shino's head snapped up, looking slightly disoriented. "Sasuke?" He echoed, taking a good look around the room. He was quiet for a moment when he realized that the said Uchiha wasn't in the room with them. "Hidan!" He called over to the silver-haired Akatsuki member sulking in a corner. "Where's Sasuke?"

"Uchiha Junior?" Hidan asked, his face scrunching into a scowl. "I don't know, isn't he sleeping in one of the rooms?"

"I didn't see him leave the house, so he's probably taking a nap." Kakuzu joined in, looking quite irritated. "These kids really need to learn to step up their stamina." As if to prove his point, he gestured over towards Kiba who was slumped over on the couch, slightly drooling onto the pillow.

"What about Naruto?" Sakura asked again, frowning. Everyone expectantly glanced over towards Itachi and Kisame, who were part of the blond's team.

"Don't look at us." Kisame said with a shrug. "We're supposed to be planning an ambush, not babysitting after some brats. Why don't you ask his teammate over there?"

Neji glanced up at their words. "I thought he was sleeping or something. He usually gets sleepy after his meals."

"Did anyone even see him come back with the ramen?" Sakura skeptically asked.

No one answered her.

"I don't think we're going to find either of them in any of the rooms." Itachi slowly said, as realization struck them hard.

Shino's face hardened.

"I think we may have to commence our attack sooner than planned."

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* * *

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_We're looking up at the same night sky,_

_And keep pretending the sun will not rise, _

_We'll be together for one more night,_

_Somewhere, _

_Somehow._

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	13. bruised

**.**

**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED**

**stfuSPARKS**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or 'Bruised' by Jack's Mannequin :)_

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**XIII.**

**Bruised**

_"Hours pass, _

_And she still counts the minutes_

_That I am not there, _

_I swear I didn't mean for it to feel like this,_

_Like every inch of me is_

_Bruised."_

_._

_._

_._

It only took five minutes for all their plans to spiral downwards.

The entire room was thrust into chaos as they finally realized that Sasuke and Naruto were missing. How had they not noticed before? The only excuse they had for their carelessness was that they had spent the whole night being too busy planning their attack on Orochimaru.

Sakura felt the world around her crash. When had it happened? Did this mean that Orochimaru was aware of their plans? Her head felt dizzy as things around her started to rapidly move. People were running around, someone was shouting directions- but her mind wasn't focusing at all.

"Sakura!"

She felt herself snap out of her daze as Deidara grabbed her shoulder. "Sakura-chan, we've been found out! We need to commence our attack, _right now. _I know it's probably hard on you right now, but we're going to need your full concentration if you want to save them." He rasped out. He had somehow changed into his practical clothing in less than a couple of minutes, and he was pushing her into a room as he spoke.

Her old uniform from the Akatsuki had been saved for her. She gingerly touched the material of the clothing as Deidara shut the door behind him, warning her to hurry up. A pair of black elastic shorts and a loose black t-shirt were laid out for her to wear. They were definitely going to be more comfortable than the tight jeans and tank top that she was currently wearing right now- a pair of shorts and a t-shirt were the most practical clothing for close-range fighting. A familiar black and red cloak was laid out on the bed as well- a surge of nostalgia rushed through her as she held up the cloak that she had left behind when she had abandoned the Akatsuki.

After rapidly changing her clothes, she quickly rushed back into the living room to see that most of them were ready to leave. All of the Akatsuki members were dressed in their respective uniforms, covered in matching black and red cloaks. The Shinobi assassins were dressed in all black, holding weapons that Sakura had never seen before in her life.

Neji stepped up to hand her a pistol. "We don't have time to teach you how our bigger weapons work, but I'm sure you know how to use a pistol. You should keep this, just in case."

Sakura eyed the small weapon in her hands, before tucking it into her cloak. She nodded in thanks, before turning around to to face Shino.

"We have to leave at once." Shino told them. The living room had been turned into some kind of office- there were at least five computers and all sorts of complicated machines set up around the room. Shino and Shikamaru sat in the middle of it all, ready to start working the computers as soon as they left. The dark haired man handed each one of them an earpiece. "We'll be able to keep in touch with these." He explained, as everyone managed to put them on.

"Split up into your teams and just follow the plans. Only because they have taken the first step does not mean that our plans have been messed up. We still hold an advantage over Orochimaru- if we all stick together, we'll bring him down by the end of the day." Shino's face was completely serious.

Sakura was ready to run out of the headquarters with her team right behind her, when the windows to the living room crashed, sending countless pieces of glass flying through the room. She brought an arm to cover her face from the damage, when she caught a glimpse of their attacker.

"I'm afraid I can't let you go just yet."

Her eyes widened as she recognized the silver-haired man standing in the middle of their living room to be Hatake Kakashi, Asuma-sensei's childhood friend she had met in the coffee shop the other day. His mask was still in place, but instead of wearing civilian clothes, he was dressed in an all black ensemble that was easy to move in.

"Kakashi!" She blurted out in shock. "H-how... you're Asuma-sensei's friend!"

"Aa." He said with a lone crinkle of the eye. "It is a big coincidence, is it not? I never thought that my target would be one of my best friend's students. I guess they call this fate, don't you think so?"

Everyone tensed into their offensive stances. "Sakura, do you know this man?" Itachi asked in a low voice, stepping forwards.

"I met him the other day, but I had no idea that he was working for Orochimaru..." Her voice trailed off as her eyes narrowed into a deathly glare. "Tell me where Naruto and Sasuke are, and I might let you leave this place alive."

Kakashi let out a hollow chuckle. "I don't think so, Sakura. I'm afraid Orochimaru isn't too happy with you lot planning to bring him down. I'm here to stop you before you do anything rash. The best choice for you at this point would be to have you friends give up before anyone gets hurt."

"I think you're underestimating us!" Deidara shot furiously, stepping up as well.

"I guess we're going to have to split up here." Kakuzu said slowly, throwing his cloak aside. "We don't have time to waste, Sakura. The rest of you hurry up and go look for the other two brats and Orochimaru. My team and I will stay behind and take care of this guy here."

"But-"

"Hurry the fuck up!" Hidan roared, cutting Sakura off. His cloak joined Kakuzu's on the floor of the room as he jumped forwards, only to have his fist blocked by Kakashi's arm. "Kakuzu, Zetsu and I are enough to stop this asshole here! Plus, we'll have Shino and Shikamaru here as well, we'll be fine!"

Sakura cast a doubtful look back at Zetsu, who nodded at her.

"We'll join you at Sound as soon as we're finished taking care of business here." He said slowly, licking his lips. "_Right after we finish ripping him apart." _

She didn't dare stop to look back as she ran out of the room, just as Kakuzu, Zetsu and Hidan all attacked Kakashi at the same time.

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* * *

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The earpiece came to life with a slight cracke.

_"Can all of you hear me? Are you on your way to Sound?" _

Sakura let out a quiet sigh of relief when she heard Shino's voice over the static. It had been fifteen minutes since they had left the headquarters. "We're on our way right now." She responded quietly, as she looked out the window of the moving car. "We should reach our destination in less than ten minutes. Are you guys okay?"

"The last time I saw them was ten minutes ago. Zetsu managed to kick him through another window and they haven't come back since. I can't hear anything, so I assume they've taken the fight somewhere far from here."

Her blood ran cold at his words; she prayed that the other three would be fine. "How did they found out?" She whispered, feeling the dread in her stomach grow deeper. "How could Orochimaru possibly know of our plans?"

She could almost imagine him shake his head. "I have no idea, but we'll have to think of that later. For now, we have to concentrate on the matter at hand. Finding Sasuke and Naruto is our biggest priority."

"We're almost there." Sasori murmured.

"Alright. Team Sakura, you will take the back entrnace. You guys are too direct with your attacks, so you would attract too much attention if you attacked the front. Team Naruto is more suited to place a stealth attack at the entrance. Don't take the elevators, it's too risky with Orochimaru behind the scenes controlling everything within the building." Shino didn't waste time to issue out his orders. "Shikamaru will take care of any internal alarms from here."

"You got that Deidara?" Sasori asked his blond partner, who was currently behind the wheel. Deidara grimly nodded and swerved the car, steering in a different direction from Itachi's car up front. He was going to take them around the building. Parking the car a safe distance away from the back entrance, the four of them carefully got out.

"Leave this up to Tobi!" The masked boy gleefully exclaimed, as Deidara oberved their enemies from afar.

"Six men are guarding the entrance at the back. I'm positive that they have at least four more men in the inside, but they should be easy enough to take care of. They're only holding onto basic weaponry, nothing too heavy." He murmured, as he exchanged a nod with the redhead.

"We're commencing our attack right now. We'll meet you inside of the lobby." Sasori muttered into his earpiece. Without waiting for a response, he looked at the rest of his teammates and held up two fingers. Sakura immediately understood- they were going for their combat tactic #2.

Sakura gave him a curt nod before jumping high into the air. The first step was up to her- they were depending on her.

The six men guarding the back door to the building immediately looked up at her as her body blocked out the sunlight, casting a shadow over their figures. They barely had the time to reach for their weapons when Deidara, Sasori and Tobi appeared out of nowhere, using their temporary distraction to knock them out. The grown men immediately collapsed to the floor with a loud _thud. _

"That was too easy." Sakura said suspiciously, dusting off her cloak. "Orochimaru either highly underestimates us or is trying to trick us."

"_He's probably just testing us." _Itachi's voice came through the receiver. "_We cleared the front much too easily as well. I think he's just watching us to study our tru potential. Come to the lobby, we'll talk there." _

Sakura and her team quickly slipped through the doors, looking around to make sure there was no one else waiting for them. Contrary to Deidara's predictions, there was no one else inside. In fact, the entire lobby was empty save for their partners waiting for them in the middle of the room.

"Something's weird." Deidara said, as his eyes narrowed. "It shouldn't be this empty at this time. Orochimaru is definitely planning something."

As if to prove his words right, all the intercom above them came to life.

"Welcome, friends."

The silence of the room was suddenly interrupted as bars slammed down to block off every window and exit to the building.

They were trapped.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but it would be a shame to see any of you leave so early. The party has just begun after all!"

Orochimaru's voice sent shivers down her spine.

"I guess we won't be leaving anytime soon." Kisame grunted, looking irritated as he hoisted the Samehada onto his shoulder. "I don't mind. I haven't had this fun in awhile." He grinned to show off his sharp teeth.

"Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun are waiting for you to come rescue them on the sixth floor. You wouldn't want to let them down, right Sakura-chan?"

The pink haired girl immediately tensed up as she heard Orochimaru say her name. There was something incredibly unsettling about hearing her name roll off his slithering tongue. "We have to hurry." She grit out, clenching her fists. "Shino told us to avoid the elevators, so we should take the stairs." She pointed towards the door leading to the stairwell.

"We have to split up." Neji said, looking around at their surroundings. "It's not safe to travel together, in case we get caught. Team Sakura will take the stairwell, and we'll take the elevators."

"Didn't you hear what Shino said?" Kiba asked in disbelief. "Walking into the elevator is just like asking to be killed!"

"Then we'll be prepared for the worst." Itachi answered. "Hyuuga's right- the stairs are going to be narrow and cramped, and there's a high chance that there are enemies awaiting us somewhere along the way. We can't be sure that Orochimaru is actually operating the elevators."

Sasori nodded at the other team. "Then we'll take the stairs- we'll meet you on the sixth floor."

Team Sakura and Team Naruto immediately separated. Sakura shot them one last concerned glance before following the rest of her team towards the door to the stairs. Itachi and his team immediately headed towards the elevators.

The stairwell was entirely too quiet- there was something unsettling about it, given the situation they were in. "They're trying to catch us off guard." Sakura muttered under her breath, as Deidara nodded in agreement. "Something tells me that it'll take us awhile before we reach the sixth floor."

As if to prove her words true, the wall to their right immediately exploded as soon as they reached the second floor. Tobi went flying back as he fell down an entire flight of stairs, groaning as he tried to stand back up. Sasori skillfully dodged every single piece of cement that came his way while Sakura's red barrier immediately activated, disintegrating everything that flew her way.

"Deidara!" She cried, as she saw a piece of the wall hit the blond square in between the shoulders on his back. He grimaced, before dodging another piece that came his way.

"No time to be hurt." He muttered under his breath, as Tobi immediately joined his side. The dust finally cleared, revealing four figures standing where the wall had been a second ago. "One for each of us to tear apart." Deidara said with a frightening bloodthirsty grin Sakura hadn't seen in ages.

"Have you finally come to play with Tobi?" Her enthusiastic masked teammate exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "How nice of you! Tobi was starting to think it was getting boring."

A red haired girl stood at the front, her fingers playing with a flute in her hands. "Are you kidding me?" The girl asked in disbelief. "Orochimaru-sama is going through all of this trouble for some pink haired brat?"

Sakura scoffed, looking absolutely disgusted. The red haired girl reminded her way too much of Karin at school. "Ew." She scoffed, crossing her arms under her cloak. "What's with girls thinking that red hair is the latest trend nowadays? When will they realize that it just makes them look cheap?" She let out an exasperated sigh for emphasis.

A dark skinned boy with black hair had to hold the furious red haired girl back as she let out a feral growl. "Not yet, Tayuya." He muttered, casting an irritated glance at his enemies standing in front of him. "We have to bring the pink haired girl alive. Those were Orochimaru-sama's orders."

"But Kidomaru!" The girl named Tayuya protested, trying to get out of his strong grip. "Does it really even matter? She's going to be die anyways!"

"If you want to go and disobey Orochimaru-sama, then go right ahead." The overweight boy standing to their right dryly said, running a chubby hand through his tuff of red hair at the top of his head. "But if he gets angry, we're not going to back you up."

"Shut up Jirobo!" Tayuya snarled. "Just go stuff your fucking face with chips like the fatso you are."

The last member, a grey haired boy with turquoise lips sighed, stepping in between them. "How many times have I told you not to call Jirobo fat?" He told the red haired girl, looking frustrated. "You can't treat your teammates that way, Tayuya."

"I bet it's easy for _you_ to say that, Sakon." Tayuya furiously spit out. "It's nice when you've been assigned the position of our leader and don't have to lower yourself to our level, right?"

They seemed to have momentarily forgotten about their opponents standing in front of them.

"Will anyone object if I just instantly kill them so we can get going?" Sasori flatly asked, and received no objections. The four people in front of them immediately snapped their heads towards his direction when they heard him speak.

"You're cute." Tayuya slyly said, and disappeared before their very eyes, only to reappear behind Sasori within a split second. Sasori did not even blink as the girl raised her blade and slashed through empty air, where Sasori had been a moment ago. She didn't seem fazed in the least as she licked her lips, her brown eyes playfully looking over her opponent. "Wanna be my boyfriend?"

Sakura couldn't help herself- she snorted in a very unladylike manner. Tayuya's brown eyes immediately snapped towards her in irritation. "What are you laughing at?" The redhead hissed angrily.

Sakura giggled a bit more before gathering her composure. "The thought of Sasori even _considering _a cheap whore like you makes me laugh." She replied, nonchalantly, waving a hand in the air. "It just sounded like a really bad joke, that's all."

"That's it, I'm going to _kill you!_" Tayuya screamed, running towards Sakura with her blade raised.

There was one thing that Tayuya clearly did not know about Sakura: the pink haired girl had spent the entire week training with Shino to learn to control her powers. It was amazing what a little bit of practice and willpower could do when such immense power was bottled up in such a small body. Sakura simply let out an amused smirk as the red barrier appeared around her, knocking the sword out of Tayuya's hands.

"I told you not to do anything rash." Kidomaru hissed, looking annoyed. "We're not dealing with any common enemy. This is the girl who defeated Kin twice in a row."

"Like I give a fuck." Tayuya said, glaring at her.

Sakura was getting ready to land a finishing blow on all four of them when the power in the entire building went out.

_Well shit._

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* * *

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Kiba's brain did not even have the time to register the fact that the elevator was crashing to the bottom when Neji's firm hand wrapped around his wrist to jerk him out of the suffocating space. The canine boy felt his shoulder ache as his entire weight was suddenly jolted upwards.

When he finally regained his senses, he realized that he was hanging in mid-air in the complete dark, solely supported by Neji's strength. "What the hell?" He choked out, rapidly blinking as he tried to make sense of the situation.

"Don't flail around." Neji's voice sounded strained. "The more you squirm, the harder it is for me to keep my hold on you, so I suggest you stay still unless you want us to both drop to the ground."

Kiba immediately stilled.

"Are you guys alright?" Kisame's gruff voice came from somewhere near him. The blue-skinned man sounded tense for the first time. "Itachi's trying to get us out of here, hang in there for a little more."

Light poured into their dark surroundings as the older Uchiha finally forced the doors to the fifth floor open. He hoisted Kisame up, and proceeded to reach a hand out towards the younger men to help them out as well. Kiba let out a huge sigh of relief when he felt his knees finally hit something solid- he wasn't too fond of high places.

"The power went out." Neji quietly observed. The only source of light was the slight stream of sunlight that was peeking through the barred windows and the small green emergency lights at the end of the corridor. "What is he planning now?"

They didn't have time to contemplate over this as a loud crash came from a couple of floors underneath them. Kiba was about to rush back towards the stairs when Itachi stopped him. "They'll be fine, don't forget they have Sakura." He calmly said, as his unsettling red eyes ghosted over the canine boy. "Sasuke and Kiba need our help more than anything right now."

Kiba hated to admit it, but he was right.

He could only hope that all of them would make it out of it alive.

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"What the fuck?" Deidara swore, before he was slammed against a wall. He gasped as the air was knocked out of his lungs within impact, as the grey haired boy held him up by the neck. Sakura could only helplessly watch as Kidomaru's hands collided with Tobi's next as well. Rendered weak in the dark, Sasori was also caught off guard as Jirobo immediately slammed his body against the slimmer red haired boy, effectively pinning him under his heavy weight.

Sakura swore under her breath as she jumped away, avoiding Tayuya's fist as it swung through the air. It was obvious that these four opponents were trained to fight in the dark. It was a huge advantage to them- the members of Akatsuki were skilled but not so much without their vision to aid them.

Without thinking, Sakura immediately gathered her strength into her small fist before slamming it to the floor, hearing a satisfying _crunch_ as the ground immediately broke apart under her strength. Their opponents immediately lost their balance and let go of their respective victims. Deidara's blue eyes immediately flashed with anger as he took off his cloak, revealing a black shirt and black trousers underneath. He immediately reached for a pouch hanging off his hip.

Sasori immediately reached inside his cloak as well, as Tobi undid the clasp on his cloak as it fell to the floor with a heavy _bang._

Sakura realized that they were getting serious. Deidara was reaching for his explosives, Sasori was pulling out his killing mechanisms and Tobi was free of his cloak- one that was made especially for him that weighed a whopping number of over 50 kgs, that usually served to slow down his impossible speed.

"We don't have time to mess with little fish like you." Deidara snarled, swiftly aiming a couple of mini explosives towards Sakon, who let out a cry of pain as one of them exploded on his arm. "You better enjoy this moment because it's going to be your last."

Sasori silently jerked his hands forwards, as a couple of transparent strings glinted in the dark. Tayuya didn't even have the chance to dodge as several knives that were connected to the strings slashed her side.

Tobi wasn't anywhere to be seen- only Sakura could see him, due to her keen sight. Once he got rid of his weights, he was impossible to see- his movements were simply much too fast for the naked eye. Kidomaru's face was slammed down into the cement floor by some invisible force as a flash of orange briefly lingered in the air.

"Sorry kids, but we don't have time for you." Sakura murmured with a small smirk before she landed a well placed kick to Jirobo's big stomach. He grunted as he flew back, crashing into the wall behind him. "I'll give you one last chance to leave."

Their four opponents staggered to recover as they each shot uncertain looks among themselves. "Don't be a coward!" Tayuya snarled at the whimpering overweight boy. "Orochimaru-sama is going to kill us anyways if we don't complete our mission! Are you really that disloyal to him?"

Kidomaru gathered up his courage and immediately charged towards Sasori, who only had to flick his fingers before an invisible thread immediately wrapped around the dark-skinned boy. "You should have listened to our warning." He said with a sigh, before nodding towards Deidara. The blond immediately pulled out a couple of more peculiar explosives and threw them at their victim, who was struggling against his bindings. Sakura concentrated as a blue barrier slowly formed around him, effectively trapping him in with Deidara's bombs. His three other teammates could only helplessly watch as the bombs finally went off, blood and pieces of flesh splattering against the blue sphere.

Sakura had also learned to control her barrier during her training with Shino. While the red barrier surrounding her kept everything dangerous away, she had learned to create a blue barrier, which did the opposite- it contained everything inside. Deidara amicably gave her a high-five as their remaining three opponents looked on in horror.

It was sick, but in a way she found satisfaction in participating in such brutality after such a long time. She had been bottling up her true potential ever since she had left the Akatsuki- it felt nice to release so much of her power for the first time in years. She was reminded of the times in which she was allowed to unleash her powers without any limits when she had been working beside Deidara and Sasori. It had been thrilling, to say the least. While Idate and Sai spent their time trying to shelter her powers from the world, the Akatsuki let her display it for everyone to see.

She had actually forgotten about this feeling. A sadistic grin overcame her pretty features as she felt the power course through her veins. Her red eyes sparkled maliciously as she turned her gaze towards the three remaining enemies, who shuddered under her intense gaze.

"Who's next?" She sweetly called out in a singsong voice. Before any of her team members could stop her, she jumped towards Jirobo, who was cowering in the very back. "Hi there," She quietly whispered. Her left hand glowed green as she wrapped it around his thick neck, a satisfied look overcoming her face as she felt his bones crush under the pressure with a sickening _crack_.

Sakon barely had the time to stumble back before she appeared before him, giving him another one of her sweet smiles in the dark before she grabbed his hands and ripped his arms out of their sockets. He let out a deafening scream of pain, before he collapsed to the floor, rapidly bleeding out.

"What the _hell_ are you?" Tayuya whispered in horror, as her brown eyes widened in fright.

"Someone you shouldn't have messed with." Sakura replied cheekily, before slicing the red haired girl's throat in cold blood.

Sakura stood over her victims with a bloodthirsty grin on her face as Tayuya choked out her last breath at her feet.

"Sakura..." Deidara's hand tightened on her shoulder. She blinked, and her eyes immediately changed back to green. "You kinda lost control back there for a moment. You might want to slow down." He told her with a concerned look on his face. "I'm all for killing our opponents and everything, but this isn't like you."

"Sakura-chan, you got a little too excited there." Tobi said with a nervous chuckle, picking up his cloak.

Sasori turned away from the, completely ignoring what had just happened. "We should get going, the others are probably already on the sixth floor right now." He said, and swiftly started to walk up the stairs, dodging a couple of craters on the way. Deidara shot her a strange look before picking up his own garment, following Sasori.

Tobi jumped across a particularly big hole on the stairwell, courtesy of Sakura's strength. He held out a hand for her to hold. "Let's go Sakura-chan, your friends are waiting for you." He gently said. Sakura hesitantly held his hand as he helped her jump across. "Sakura-chan." He suddenly lowered his voice, making it impossible for Sasori and Deidara to overhear their conversation. "Your power is truly amazing, and you are an extremely good fighter. Tobi just wanted to make sure that you trust yourself enough not to be overwhelmed by it all."

In moments like these, Sakura wished that she could see Tobi's face so she could see what he was thinking. His unusually solemn tone had startled her a bit- she was used to his carefree and giddy personality. However, he gave her a tug and immediately changed back into the Tobi that everyone knew and loved. "We should hurry up, before Deidara-senpai kills me!" He worriedly exclaimed, and started to run up the stairs.

Sakura quickly followed him, quietly pondering his words.

He was right- she had just lost control back there. The gruesome scene behind her was the evidence of it all. It was back again- something that Deidara used to call her 'crazy mode' in the past. Her 'crazy modes' were usually set off when she let out an unusual outburst of power, enabling it to take over her entire body. She would turn bloodthirsty and merciless, unlike her usual personality. No one could usually bring her down from these modes- she would only stop when she was satisfied. Deidara and Sasori had tried countless times to stop her before things got out of hand, but it was always useless.

She hadn't experienced one of her 'crazy modes' in years. After she had quit the Akatsuki, Idate and Sai had both pressured her into restraining her powers as much as she could. She would never use them unless it was absolutely necessary- but after an entire year, unleashing her power and the sight of Kidomaru's blood had set her off. She grimaced, quickly wiping off her blood-stained hands on the edge of her cloak.

"Took you long enough!" Kisame's rough voice greeted them as soon as they reached the sixth floor. "Thought you died down there or something."

"Yeah right." Sakura snorted. "Me, dying? I don't think so."

"That's unfortunate." The blue-skinned man said, rolling his eyes.

Neji glanced over at their bloodstained clothes. "What happened downstairs? We heard a lot of commotion."

Deidara let out an exasperated sigh. "You don't want to know." He said, wrinkling his nose. "Sakura-chan went into crazy mode."

Neji and Kiba looked confused, but Itachi and Kisame shot each other knowing glances. "Sakura..." Itachi warningly started to say, but Sakura shook her head, interrupting him mid-sentence.

"I know, I know. I just lost control back there for a second, but I promise it won't happen again." She said tiredly. She wasn't in the mood for one of their lectures right now. Lecturing could come later- right now, they had people to rescue. "Let's go. If Orochimaru was speaking the truth, Sasuke and Naruto should be here somewhere."

Sasori nodded in agreement. "We better hurry up. After we find them, we have to go get rid of Orochimaru."

They quietly made their way through the hallways. "This is strange." Itachi murmured.

Neji nodded. "There's no one guarding this floor." He expectantly looked at Kiba. "Can you sense anyone else on this floor?"

"No." Kiba shook his head. "No one hostile at least."

"We should be getting near." Sakura said anxiously, running through the abandoned floor. There was only one door at the end of the hallway- they _had_ to be there. She burst through the door, hoping to find the two missing boys.

Her face immediately broke into relief when she saw that Naruto and Sasuke were both fine. They were both locked inside a huge cage- but they were fine. She couldn't see any superficial wounds, and they didn't seem to be in any pain.

"Thank god." She whispered.

"Sakura-chan! NO IT'S A TRAP!"

Sakura barely had the time to register Naruto's scream before she felt her legs give in beneath her. It was a foreign feeling- it was as if something was sucking out all of her energy. She tried to get back up, but her limbs felt like jelly. She could barely even speak, even as Deidara rushed to her side.

"Sakura-chan? What's gotten into you?" He nervously asked her, trying to support her from sprawling out on the floor.

"It's a trap!" Naruto cried, looking desperate. "You have to get here away from this place, Orochimaru found-"

"I found Sakura-chan's biggest weakness."

The room chilled as they all whirled around to face their ultimate opponent.

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* * *

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_There's so much sun_

_Where I'm from, _

_I had to give it away, _

_Had to give you away._

_._

_._


	14. pretty girl

**.**

**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED **

**stfuSPARKS **

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or 'Pretty Girl' by Sugarcult. _

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**XIV. **

**Pretty Girl**

_"That's what you get for falling again, _

_You can never get him out of your head. _

_It's the way that he makes you feel,_

_It's the way that he kisses you,_

_It's the way that he makes you fall in love._

_._

_._

_._

"I hope you don't mind if I crash the party."

Through her helplessness, Sakura caught a full glimpse of Orochimaru for the first time.

He was even more horrid than she had imagined him to be. His skin was a sickly shade of white, almost pale enough to be purple. She was positive that his amber eyes were just like slits- they were staring at her with a newfound intensity. His black hair was long and silky, almost smooth enough to be a girl's. His body was long and slender, just like a snake- she shuddered at the mere sight of him.

So this was the man who had been threatening so many lives around her.

This was the man who wanted her dead.

Sasuke visibly struggled as well, as he tried to hoist himself off by grabbing onto the steel bars. "He found our weakness." He hissed furiously, beads of perspiration rapidly sliding down his face. It seems like our powers don't react well to zirconium."

"What the hell is that?" Kiba asked, with a bewildered look on his face. "Zerco-what?"

"Zirconium." Sasuke repeated, his voice sounding strained. "It's some type of rare earth metal- it's probably affecting Sakura more than any of us because her powers are the most active."

"It's like how Superman was weak against kryptonite." Naruto said with a weak smile. "Pretty clichè, isn't it?"

Orochimaru gave them a sly smirk, holding up a ring in his hand. "I had some of Sakura-chan's blood taken from the school grounds on the day she was shot." He explained, looking extremely self-satisfied. "We tested out different kinds of substances on her blood cells, and noticed that it reacted most violently with zirconium. I am having zirconium fused bullets made as we speak right now- I wonder if she'll still heal after I shoot her with those?" He looked at her small figure being supported by Deidara. "Probably not, judging by her reaction right now. I'm not even _touching_ her with this ring and yet she's already so weakened!" He looked delightful.

Sasuke grit his teeth. The zirconium didn't affect him as much as it did to Sakura, but it still weakened him. It was as if his dormant powers could still feel the power of the metal. "Sakura..." He rasped out, before collapsing onto his knees.

"Get her to safety!" Naruto roared, straining against his own struggles. "You have to get her out of here, you're still in time to protect her!"

Deidara nodded at his words and scooped the girl up in his arms.

"We'll take care of things here." Itachi said, stepping up with Kisame and Sasori by his side. "You and Tobi try to get Sakura out of here. There has to be some way out of here- try to contact Shino to see if he can find one for you."

Orochimaru yawned, looking quite bored. "I'm afraid I don't have time to play with you." He said, nonchalantly waving Itachi away. "Sakura-chan is my main focus- but I assure you that I have someone who will probably entertain you for awhile." He snapped his fingers, and a man they recognized as Kabuto walked in, followed by at least twenty other Sound lackeys.

Sasori narrowed his eyes. "Long time no see, Kabuto. I was looking forward to fighting you again."

"The same goes for me." Kabuto said with a pleasant bow. "You were a formidable opponent back then Sasori. This time we shall see who the strongest one truly is." He glanced over towards Itachi and Kisame. "It's a shame I won't be able to fully concentrate on you. I'm afraid I'll have to take care of all three of you at once."

"Get out of here!" Kisame roared as soon as he realized that Orochimaru wasn't going to fall for their trick.

"No!" Sakura weakly protested as Deidara lifted her up. "I... I can't leave Naruto... and Sasuke!"

The color of her eyes kept on flickering back and forth between green and red as she struggled to regain control of her power. She grit her teeth in frustration.

"I'll kill Naruto first." Orochimaru bemusedly thought out loud. "And then Sasuke-kun. I'll save you for last Sakura-chan; I'm sure you'll show us an amazing finale." His amber eyes stared at her in expectation. "This will be fun."

She felt fear course through her blood at his words. Naruto would die. Sasuke would die. She would die. And after the three of them were dead, everyone else she ever cared about would probably all be dead too. All of this because some stupid _ring _stopped her from using her powers.

Was this really all she could do? Was she this useless without her powers? She had never stopped to consider how life would be without her strange perks. For the past three years, her powers had always saved her in difficult situations- no matter what happened, she had depended on them without even thinking twice. Yet- now that she was really rendered powerless, she had to stop and wonder if she as a person- if Haruno Sakura was really this weak. She had always felt somewhat cocky and superior to other people when fighting with her powers. She thought that no one would ever be able to fight against her- but here she was, finally facing someone who could overpower her strength.

Was this really how it was all going to end? She briefly thought back to her mysterious encounter with Lee and Idate in that endless white place- she couldn't be sure if it had actually happened, or if it was all in her head. She would never know in the end- but she knew that they spoke the truth. Was this how she would let Lee and Idate's sacrifice go to waste? It all just seemed so unfair.

No, this time she wouldn't give up.

She would fight him.

She would fight anyone who would try to harm her friends.

That's when she felt it- she felt the true potential of her power rush through her entire body. Deidara immediately let go of her as he felt something akin to electricity shock his body. He didn't have to worry about dropping her however- she immediately landed gracefully on her feet, a slightly pink aura surrounding her entire body. Her eyes were shut in concentration as she slowly straightened up.

When she opened her eyes again, she was no longer Haruno Sakura.

**.**

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Kakashi panted, landing with a wince on the other side of the clearing. His knee felt funny- he was pretty sure that his kneecap was dislocated. It was worth it though- Zetsu and Kakuzu were currently lying unconscious a couple of meters away from him. He would have killed them off, but Hidan kept on intercepting all of his tries.

"I may not fucking love the guys," Hidan said with a pant, wiping away the blood dripping down his brow. "But I won't let them die against some asshole like _you._" He grimaced as he picked up his scythe again.

It was like this guy was invincible, Kakashi noted silently. Hidan had sustained an equal amount of damage as the other two men, but he was still standing and able to attack. The grey haired man wasn't usually impressed easily- but he had to admit that Hidan was a formidable opponent.

"It's no use defeating me now." Kakashi said lightheartedly, betraying none of the panic that he felt inside. "Orochimaru will destroy your friends, and you will be next. You should just save yourself the pain and accept the painless death I'll grant you right now."

Hidan threw his head back and laughed, as several silver strands came loose from him slicked back hairdo to messily hang over his forehead. "Are you kidding me?" He asked in disbelief, giving the other man a sadistic grin. "I _live _for the fucking pain."

Kakashi couldn't help the slight shiver that went down his back. His current opponent was definitely no ordinary man- there was something extremely eerie about him.

"Jashin-sama will be pleased." Hidan spoke up again, licking the blood off his lips. "You have been a powerful opponent. I will make your death as painful as possible to make you a special sacrifice for my god! You should be honored!"

Kakashi jumped away just in time as Hidan's scythe implanted itself in the ground. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he aimed a kick towards the sadistic man with his good leg, feeling satisfied as his foot collided with Hidan's neck. Hidan flew back a couple of meters, losing his grasp on the still implanted scythe.

"Fuck." He cursed, getting back on his feet. "That felt _good._"

"All the people around you will die." Kakashi said quietly, ignoring the other man's crude words. "Is that fine with you?"

Hidan's grin slowly disappeared. "They can take care of themselves." He said with a snort, looking unamused. "Especially with Pinky on their side."

"What would you think if I told you that Orochimaru found a way to weaken her?"

Hidan shot him a strange look. "And what would you fucking think if I told you that you have to see Pinky in her fucking 'crazy mode' in order to see how crazy she really is?" He retorted back, rolling his violet eyes. "Don't play shitty mind games with me, they don't work."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "'Crazy mode'?" He echoed, tilting his head to the side.

Hidan let out a laugh. "Are you fucking kidding me? You're trying to kill her but you don't even know about her crazy modes?" He brought a hand up to rub his smooth chin. "Well I guess it makes sense though. It's not like anyone ever survived that shit. Holy shit Pinky's going to _massacre_ Orochimaru. I wish I was there to fucking see it."

Kakashi was starting to feel extremely confused. "I'm afraid I'm still not following you."

"You don't need to. Pinky will be swimming in your guts before you even realize it."

At the time, Kakashi had no way of knowing that Hidan's words were no lie.

**.**

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Deidara had always known that Sakura was out of the ordinary.

Ever since he had laid eyes on her from the bus from that rainy day, he had always known that she was special. Of course, he would find out just _how _special a short time later.

He had never questioned her powers. He had always accepted her for who she was. He had loved every single part of her as his own flesh and blood- but he still couldn't stop that rush of fear that had overcome his body when Sakura had displayed her 'crazy mode' for the first time in his company.

He would never forget that day- and he had a slight suspicion that Sasori would never forget either. It happened for the first time approximately two months after she had joined. They had been assigned a simple mission- they were to go check out the assets of a certain company who wanted to do business with the Akatsuki. All they really had to do was confirm that the company was really earning as much money as they said they were. It wasn't their first mission of the sort- Leader had been giving them all sorts of easy missions since Sakura had joined. She had never tortured or killed before, so it was only natural that they would wait for her to grow up a little more before actually sending her off on such missions.

It was safe to say that the mission did not go as planned.

They had been tricked. Under the pretense of wanting to do business with the Akatsuki, several of their enemies had been waiting for them in the empty building, waiting to kill them off. Unexpectedly being thrust into danger, Sakura, Deidara and Sasori had no choice but to fight for their lives as countless people tried to kill them. There were gunshots coming from all directions, blades swinging in an attempt to strike them. It was absolute chaos-

And it was in that situation that Sakura was forced to make her first kill.

They had been dreading that moment. Females were usually more sensitive when it came to killing people in cold blood, and Sakura was still a teenager. They had no doubts that killing someone would absolutely horrify her and put her into shock, scarring her for life-

But it was the opposite.

The moment a man lunged onto her, Sakura grabbed the nearest thing she could- a knife laying abandoned on the ground. The previous owner of the knife had been taken care of by Sasori and was currently laying dead next to it. Squeezing her eyes shut, she had thrust the knife upwards, only to impale her attacker. Blood dripped down the handle of the knife, slowly staining her small, white hands. Deidara would never forget the way she simply sat there and watched the crimson liquid drop down onto her cloak.

That's when it happened.

Her eyes momentarily flashed a darker shade of red before she let out a long, sinster laugh. Within less than five minutes, she had slashed through every single one of their enemies with the same knife, creating a huge bloodbath. He would never forget the way in which she danced around the dead bodies with an extremely content smile on her face, basking in all of their blood. He had never seen her look so _happy _before.

But this wasn't Sakura.

This wasn't the sweet girl she knew.

A sick and twisted part of him couldn't help but think that she was beautiful. The way the blood stained her pale, milky skin was absolutely breathtaking, and even the way the color crimson matted down her lovely pink locks was captivating. The way she simply laughed and danced around was beautiful in its own dark way.

After that, she had collapsed and returned to the normal, sweet Sakura they all knew. She had no memories of killing anyone at all, and Deidara was secretly relieved.

It didn't stop there though- on several occasions after that, she had gone into what Deidara would refer to her 'crazy mode' whenever her power happened to overwhelm her body. No one would ne able to stop her- and time after time he would have to witness that beautiful yet twisted side of Sakura once again. Sometimes, he felt like he was watching someone else entirely.

He was grateful that it didn't happen often- but he knew that it was only a matter of time before that very darkness would consume all of her forever.

**.**

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Sakura stared around at the room in awe, as if she was seeing every single one of them for the first time.

She blinked once, twice.

Her eyes were no longer green. They weren't their usual shade of bright red either.

No. It was that same peculiar color that they had seen on her on that fateful day at the school grounds, that unique color of dark red mixed in with gold flecks- the eyes that could almost kill with a glance. Orochimaru stared at her new feature in awe, not daring to say anything to break the magical silence that had covered the room.

She slowly flexed her fingers, watching her hand in fascination as she felt the power rush freely through her. This was the moment she had been waiting for throughout her entire life- she was finally _complete. _Her powers were finally fully unleashed, and she no longer had to struggle to control them. She felt as if though her powers would listen to any command given- this feeling of satisfaction was almost like a drug.

Deidara, however had seen those eyes time and time again. It was the eyes that appeared when she went into her 'crazy mode'- but he had a feeling that this time it was much bigger than anything else he had previously experienced with her before. Kabuto and his twenty minions stood still, as if they were waiting for Orochimaru to change his orders.

One of the brave men behind the grey haired man stepped up and immediately shot at her. This time, her red barrier did not appear. However, it took one look from her strange eyes for the bullet to slow down in mid-air, only to be shot back towards where it had originated. The man was dead even before his body hit the floor- the bullet had gone straight through his skull, in between the eyes.

The pink aura around her flared as she snapped her head around to stare at Orochimaru.

"You're the one that wants to kill me." She slowly said, looking almost fascinated.

"So beautiful." Orochimaru whispered, his amber eyes never leaving her petite figure. "So this is your true form as a Damned. I thought I'd never see it in person. I never imagined it to be so... _perfect_."

Her eyes slowly narrowed. "I am not an object for you to observe whenever you want to. You have messed with the wrong person, Orochimaru." Her voice was cold, light. It was a voice Sasuke nor Naruto had ever heard her use before- and it was one that Deidara had desperately hoped to never hear again.

"Don't you understand?" Orochimaru exclaimed, raising his arms above him. "You could rule the _world_ with your powers! Every single person in this world is at your mercy when you are in that state! You could have _anything _you ever wanted... you could join my side and we would be invincible!"

Sasuke felt sick at hearing his words.

Orochimaru had finally gone crazy. His thirst for power had completely overcome his body, and he was now under the twisted conviction that he could somehow rule the entire world. What had started out as a a mere need for a little bit of power had become something completely insane. Orochimaru had lost his sanity somewhere down the road to accomplishing his dreams.

Deidara tried to bend the steel bars, but to no avail. "You have to get out of here, right now." He said, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Trust me, you don't want to be here to witness this. You'll be of more help if youre out of the way."

"Stand back." Kisame said with a nod, and swung his giant sword at the cage. With one swift motion, the bars were sliced, making it possible for Sasuke and Naruto to escape. The two weakly made their way out of the steel bars with the help of the blond Akatsuki member. "Get out." Kisame told them. "And don't even think about looking back."

Sasuke stopped to straighten up. "What about Sakura?" He sharply asked, casting a look towards the pink haired girl.

Deidara shook his head. "That's not Sakura." He quietly said, his blue eyes never leaving her.

"What do you mean she's not Sakura?" Sasuke angrily asked, feeling his temper quickly rise.

"It's happened before. Some kind of weird force overcomes her and she changes." Sasori explained blankly.

"But this time, it's different. I don't think she'll ever be herself again." Deidara said, his expression hardening. "She's reached a point in which she can't turn back anymore."

"That's impossible." Sasuke heard himself say, as his entire body went numb. "She's still Sakura, no matter how you look at it. She can't just suddenly change."

"You should leave before you disappoint yourself even more, Uchiha Junior." Kisasme said and gave Sasuke a rough push. "Trust us when we say that it won't be easy on your heart."

"No way!" Naruto feebly interrupted. "I can't believe you'd just give up on her like that! We believe in Sakura-chan! We'll bring her back, I know we can."

Deidara felt a surge of fury overcome him. "You think we haven't _tried_?" He hissed in anger. "Do you really think that this is the first time this happens? Do you really think that we abandoned her every single time? Don't act like you're her new best friend kid, you don't know her like we do. You haven't been by her side for longer than a month- who are you trying to kid? More than anyone..." He broke off, looking pained. "More than anyone, we care for her. More than you could possibly imagine."

Naruto was at a loss for words for a moment. "But if you really love her that much..." He choked out. "Then why did you give up on her?" He shook his head in disbelief. "If it was me, I'd never give up on her, no matter how many times I failed."

"We gave up the moment we discovered that she isn't Sakura-chan." Deidara murmured, lowering his eyes.

"You keep saying she isn't Sakura, but how would you even know for sure?" Sasuke furiously asked him.

Deidara stared straight at him. "Because Sakura-chan would rather kill herself than harm her own friends."

Before Sasuke or Naruto could ask what his words meant, Deidara and Sasori finally showed them.

Naruto had to stifle a scream.

The secret of the two Akatsuki members was finally revealed.

**.**

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"I have to admit Gaara, I was pretty surprised when you showed up at my doorstep."

The redhead did not say a word as his older brother handed him a glass of water. Kankuro sat across from him, taking a sip of beer as he gave Gaara a wistful smile.

"It's been years and you haven't changed at all." He said with a sigh, pausing to light up a cigarette. "Temari and I almost thought you were dead, you know? You could have at least called to let us know you were safe. Temari almost cried, and you know how tough she is."

Gaara's eyes did not waver. "The two of you have always despised me. Why would you even care if I was dead or alive?"

Kankuro frowned. "We never despised you, Gaara." He slowly said. "I'll admit that we were always a bit scared of you, but that's a far cry from the definition of despise. You're still our little brother- how could we ever hate you?"

Silence fell upon the two siblings when Gaara chose not to answer him.

"What brings you here?" Kankuro finally asked, breaking the silence. "I know for a fact that you would never come find me unless you had no other choice, so would you care telling me why you're here?"

For a moment, Kankuro thought that Gaara was going to give him the silent treatment once again. He was about to give up, when his brother finally spoke up. "Six years ago, Sakura first came to stay at our house." He said with a blank face. Kankuro knew better than to interrupt him at this point. "I will never know why, but she stayed by my side. I know I'm not a good person, and I know I am not easy to get along with. Why would someone like her bother wasting her time on someone like me?"

"Maybe she saw something in you that no one else saw." Kankuro quietly said.

"I should have trusted her." Gaara flatly confessed, with a strange look on his face.

Kankuro looked up at him in surprise.

"Because of my lack of trust, Lee died. Once again I lost everything in my life." He paused, as his dark green eyes stared at his brother. "I never thought I'd be seeing her again, but once again she's here. Is fate trying to play a joke on me?"

"I think," Kankuro murmured. "That fate is trying to tell you that it's not too late to fix your past mistakes." He slightly smiled when he saw Gaara's shoulders immediately tense up at his words. "I think that this is fate's way of telling you that you have messed in the past, but you can do it right this time."

"But Lee is already dead." Gaara's voice was hollow. "How will that ever go away? No matter what I do, he will never come back to life."

"Listen Gaara." Kankuro's voice was a little bit more stern this time. "I don't know what exactly is going on in your life, but I'm not dumb. I know that Sakura's life is in danger for some strange reason- you may not be able to bring your friend back to life, but you're still in time to save another one."

Gaara contemplated over his brother's words. "If you were me, would you go save her right now?"

"Without a doubt." Kankuro said with a nod.

Without hesitating, Gaara quickly stood up from his seat and started to walk away.

"Then I must go do one more thing, before it really _is _too late."

"Will you come back to see me again once it's all over?"

"..."I'll think about it."

**.**

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**.**

Sasuke usually prided himself in the fact that he was able to keep him composure in most situations.

However, there was no possible way that he could stop his jaw from dropping open when Deidara and Sasori finally revealed their secrets to the rest of them. Kisame had the decency to look away as soon as Deidara pulled back his bangs.

Sasuke had never really paid attention to the fact that Deidara usually covered his left eye with his long, blond bangs. He had shrugged it off as some kind of strange fashion statement- he had never bothered to read into it much more. However, he finally realized _why _the blond kept his eye covered at all times- it wasn't even there in the first place. Instead of a sky blue eye, a metal scope was planted into the socket in its place. It made strange whirring sounds as its focus constantly adjusted, continuously zooming in and out.

In the meantime, Sasori had raised one of his hands towards his face. Sasuke briefly remembered Sakura telling him about how it was impossible for Sasori to look so young when he was much older than the rest of the members. On the outside, his skin was almost porcelain-like and unmarred- but he pulled on the skin on his cheeks and Naruto almost screamed when he saw that the _skin came off. _A patch of horribly burnt and scarred skin lay underneath it, as Sasuke finally realized that the face they had grown accustomed to seeing on the redhead was fake. It was an extremely thin layered mask, molded perfectly to Sasori's features.

"Sakura-chan... she w-would never..." Naruto started to stammer, but he could not bring himself to finish his sentence.

"You're right." Sasori flatly told them. Sasuke tried to look away from the horribly scarred skin that was finally visible to them, but he found it difficult to do. "Sakura would never hurt her friends."

"Then... how?" Naruto whispered in horror.

"Can't you see?" Deidara seethed. "It's because _that girl right now is not Sakura-chan_!"

And Sasuke finally understood what he was saying. It didn't matter that he hadn't known Sakura for a long time, and it didn't matter that he wasn't her best friend like they were. He knew who she was, and he was certain that Sakura would never _ever_ hurt her friends. She was a girl who had accepted her own death in order to protect the people around her- the mere _thought _of harming the people she knew would hurt her.

And so the notion of Sakura hurting Deidara and Sasori- two of the people she treasured with all her heart- was absolutely ridiculous. Deidara was right- the Sakura he knew would rather kill herself before laying hands on her friends.

The horrifying sight in front of them, this evidence that she had hurt them in the past- it wasn't just harm. It went _much _deeper than that- this was absolute torture.

Naruto still refused to believe it. "It must have been an accident, she would never-"

"Do you need me to tell you what she did to us?" Deidara hissed, grabbing Naruto by the shoulder. "All we did was ask her to return to normal. She _laughed _at us, before she tore my eye out. You know what she said to me? She said, '_The next time you ask her to return again, I'll rip your other eye out so you'll never see her again.' _She ripped my eye right out of its socket, without even hesitating. Then she started to _play _with is as if it was a toy."

Naruto didn't want to hear anymore, but Deidara was already on a roll. "Oh and you should have seen what she did to Sasori," He continued, as his anger deepened. "Did you know that 89% of Sasori's body suffered from third-degree burns? His actual body is an absolute sight to see. What you see now isn't even a tenth of the actual horror- he hides it by covering his body with some kind of thin layered suit and mask- almost like a puppet, wouldn't you say?" He let out a hollow laugh. "She set him on fire. All he did was tell her that she wasn't the real Sakura- that she was _ugly _when she acted like that, and she asked him if he wanted to be ugly forever."

"Do you still think that she's the Sakura-chan you know?" Sasori quietly asked.

This time, Naruto was speechless.

"B-but... she's going to return to normal right? This... this is only temporary... right?" He finally found his voice as his blue eyes stared up at the two Akatsuki members with the slightest trace of hope.

Once again, Deidara turned his gaze over towards the pink haired girl.

"She always goes back to normal in the end." He quietly murmured. "But this time... I'm afraid this time... it's going to be different."

Sasuke's heart immediately dropped at his words. Naruto let out a muffled sob, turning away from the girl who was no longer Sakura.

"We always knew it was going to happen one day. We just didn't think it was going to be so soon." Sasori's tone was carefully blank.

"Her powers... they were always going to be the death of her." Deidara slightly choked on his words, before turning away as well. "They were bound to take over her one day."

"There has to be a way." Sasuke's throat felt dry as he spoke. "There has to be a way we can bring her back. This is Sakura we're talking about- I'm sure she's still in there somewhere."

Deidara shook his head. "Contrary to what many people think, we looked into her powers as a Damned when she first joined us. We couldn't let such a peculiar power just slip through our hands- so we researched about all the past vessels of these powers. Most of them were just killed even before their powers were awoken, or they were killed as soon as they started to display strange symptoms... but the few that _did _survive to awaken their powers..." He couldn't continue.

"They all went insane in the end." Sasori finished for him. "The Damned powers are immense- much more than we can even imagine. It is impossible for a human body to contain all of that power for long periods of time. At first, the powers remain dormant. Then, they slowly start to activate. By the time they have reached their full potential, the human vessel is no longer the same. The vast amount of power corrupts the brain, leading them into insanity."

"Is that what's happening to Sakura-chan?" Naruto whispered. "Is she becoming crazy?"

Sasori did not even flinch at his question. "We have observed her for an entire year." He explained. "After she finally started to learn how to somewhat control her power, she started to go into what Deidara called her 'crazy modes'. It would happen whenever her powers would overload, causing the insanity to temporarily take entire control of her mind. There are many forms of insanity- in Sakura's case, she developed a double personality within her."

"She called her 'Inner Sakura.'" Deidara finally spoke up again. "During the first times, she wasn't even aware that this was happening, but after several times, she started to realize that there was slowly another being growing inside of her. I guess in a way, it delayed her insanity from being displayed on the outside. When Sakura finally told me about Inner Sakura, I realized what was happening."

"So... is she... Inner Sakura?" Naruto asked cautiously.

Sasori nodded. "It's the only name we have for her. We always knew that one day Inner Sakura would completely take over. It was obvious- every time Sakura entered her 'crazy mode', Inner Sakura took over for longer periods of time. She once warned us that one day, Sakura would disappear for good."

"So is there really nothing we can do?" Naruto choked out.

"The only thing we can do is get the two of you to safety. That's what Sakura-chan would have wanted." Deidara's face softened.

Naruto shakily took a step forwards, but Sasuke refused to budge. "Stop talking about her like she died." He flatly said, glaring at them. "She's not dead. She's not gone yet. We can still find a way to save her."

Kisame finally decided to interrupt their conversation. "Trust me kid, Deidara and Sasori tried all sorts of things in order to find a cure for her. If they haven't found one yet, I don't see how you can."

They didn't have time to continue their conversation- they were all distracted by a loud crash on the other end of the room. Sasuke turned around just in time to see Sakura let out a beautiful laugh as she crushed one of the guard's necks with the least amount of pressure in her hand. She tossed him aside, before moving on to the rest of the guards that Kabuto had brought with him.

"Trust me, you're not going to want to see this." Kisame said with a grimace. "Listen to my advice- get out of here, _now." _

Before either of them could move, the pink haired girl snapped her head around to look at the group of young men standing near the doorway. Deidara froze as she took a couple of steps towards them, staring at one boy in particular in awe.

"You're Sasuke." She whispered, as her hand ghosted over his cheek. "It feels so unreal to see you for the first time with my own eyes. So you're the man Sakura fell in love with..." She studied every inch of his features with interest. "She's fallen so hard for you, it's almost painful to watch."

The raven haired boy didn't even budge as she grew closer to him.

"I must say, Sakura tastes aren't all that bad." Inner Sakura said with a giggle, as her lips dangerously hovered over his own. "You're quite the handsome boy. Gaara and Idate were alright, but they were so damn _boring!_" She twirled a strand of pink hair around her fingers. "But I could get used to _you_, Uchiha Sasuke. Why don't you join me? I'm still physically your same Sakura." She winked at him.

"You're not Sakura."

Her dark red eyes dangerously narrowed at his words. "So fucking what?" She crudely retorted, stepping back again. "She's always been so weak anyways."

"How long have you been inside her?" Sasuke quietly asked.

Sakura let out a light laugh. "Oh I've been inside of of her since the very beginning. I've always been hidden in the back of her head, watching but never taking over. It wasn't until she finally started to use her powers that I finally found an opening to take over- it was never for long periods of time, but I was always patient. I knew that my time would come sooner or later." A smile graced her lips. "And here I finally am."

"And now you have to leave. That body isn't for you to use." The Uchiha's voice was firm.

Sakura faked a hurt look as she inched closer to him. "It's still me Sasuke," She breathed into his ear. "Won't you stay with me?"

"Enough."

Deidara's voice interrupted her little attempt at seduction. "You're not Sakura." He spoke again, regarding her with cold, distant eyes. Inner Sakura's eyes immediately lightened up as she saw him.

"Dei-chan!" She squealed, jumping onto him. "It's been so long since I've last seen you! You haven't changed at all!" She beamed at him as she pulled back. "Is your eye doing okay?" She casually raised an arm to sweep his bangs away. He jerked away from her touch as if her fingertips were infected, turning his face away from her. "Didn't I apologize last time?" She asked him, looking hurt. "You can't stay mad forever, you know."

"I hate you." He grit out angrily. "I hate your guts."

"No you don't, silly." She said easily, raising an eyebrow at him. "Of course you don't hate me."

And deep down, he knew he didn't. He _couldn't_.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto weakly asked . "Is that you?"

She whirled around to face him. "You must be Naruto," She said in an awed tone. "I've always wanted to meet you- Sakura was right, you _are _like the sun. Such a bright disposition! How are you always so cheery?" She walked up to his and grabbed one of his cheeks. "You're cute too- do you want to join me as well?" She sweetly asked him.

"J-join you in what?" Naruto stammered, caught in her gaze.

She gave him a strange look. "In destroying all the past traces of Sakura's life, _duh_." She flipped her hair back. "So that I can take over this body and start an entire new life as myself." She shot him anoter sweet smile. "I'm not the same as her, you know. I've seen the way you look at me- I can ditch Sasuke and have you stay by my side instead. We could be together forever."

Naruto's cheeks burned as he refused to look at both her and Sasuke. "I can't." He mumbled. "I would never do that to my best friend."

Sakura's shoulders slumped as her smile immediately disappeared. "How _bo-ring." _She whined, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, no fun at all. Sakura has some handsome friends but they're all so _dull_." She finished her sentence with a sigh. "I guess it's only me and you, right Dei-chan?" She winked at the blond boy.

"How many times will I have to reject you until you understand that you'll never have me?" Deidara seethed.

"I don't understand any of you!" Sakura cried with a pout. "All of you want to stay by her side when _she _needs it. Why is it that no one ever wants to follow me when I want to do the same?"

"Because you'll never be her." Sasuke quietly told her.

Sakura's expression immediately darkened. "When will you idiots understand that she's never coming back?" She shot at him. "You might as well move on and stay with me now. I made sure that she'll never take control again." She gave him a coy smile. "I promise you that I'll make you happier than she ever did."

Her gaze shited towards Sasori. He hadn't said anything ever since she had approached them- he had only been staring at her intently with his honey brown eyes. "I have to say Sasori, you still look kinda handsome." She started to say, looking thoughtful. "But we all know that you aren't under that mask, right? Deidara forgave me, but I don't think you ever did. You never looked at Sakura in the same way after that incident. Do you hate her?"

His eyes only narrowed at her last question.

"Sasori could never hate her." Deidara answered her. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, turning back to Sasuke. "So what's it going to be, pretty boy? Are you going to join my side?"

"You must be deluded if you think I'll be going anywhere with you."

She didn't look the least fazed. "It was worth a try." She said casually, before walking back towards Orochimaru. "You're sorely mistaken if you think you're going to kill this body. I'll make sure you're in pieces before you can even raise your weapons." Her voice was cold again, as the gold flecks in her irises flashed dangerously. "I've waited for too long to gain control of her. I won't let this chance slip by again."

Orochimaru smiled at her. "We could be great together, Sakura-chan. You and I could rule the world if we wanted to. Why not join forces with each other?"

Sakura sneered at him, and his smile immediately disappeared. "Yeah right, rule the world with you?" She let out another tinkling laugh. "I could do that crap alone if I wanted to. It's too much pressure, and I quite like the world how it is, so I think I'll leave it alone for now."

"That's a shame." Orochimaru muttered, looking extremely disappointed. "We could have done great things together. You leave me no other choice..."

"What are you going to do? Kill me?" She scoffed. "I'm not the same as Sakura, old man. I am much powerful than her- my powers have no limits. If you think that your stupid zirconium ring is going to affect me like it did to her, you're highly mistaken. That stupid piece of metal does nothing to me." As if to prove her point, she raised her right hand towards him as a green glow emitted from her fingertips. The ring immediately flew off of Orochimaru's finger and into the air, floating around right before her eyes. Her eyes narrowed before her hand closed into a fist, and the ring slowly disintegrated into dust right before their eyes.

Sasuke and Naruto immediately felt the pressure lift from their shoulders as the ring was destroyed within less than a second.

Orochimaru was speechless as his only weapon against her disappeared. He immediately snapped out of his friendly mode. "I've had enough of this!" He snapped, whirling around towards Kabuto and his remaining lackeys. "I want you to kill her, right now! It doesn't matter what methods you use, as long as she's dead!"

The men shuffled around, looking insecure. No more was particularly keen on attacking her after her small display of powers- they all looked like they wanted nothing more than to go home right now. "What are you waiting for?" Orochimaru snarled again. "I don't pay you guys to stand around all day!"

One of them finally gathered up his courage and charged at her. The rest of them followed his example.

That's when the bloodbath finally began.

Sakura's pointer finger glowed green, and her bloodthirsty red eyes glinted as she made a slicing motion with her hand when one of the men jumped onto her with an axe in his hand. The others could only watch in horror as her glowing finger acted like a sharp blade- an ugly, deep gash appeared in her attacker's chest. He screamed in agony, before collapsing on the floor, slowly dying out in a pool of his own blood.

Several gunshots were heard as the men with firearms tried to shoot her again. Once again, her barrier didn't appear- instead, it only took one look of her eyes for the bullets to stop in midair and make a 180 degree turn, implanting themselves into her opponents' chests.

She made the next move this time- she jumped into the group of remaining thirteen men and started to slash around. Her grin grew wider and wider as more blood stained her hands, spurting from her victims' wounds.

Deidara saw it once again- he recognized her dance, the one where she gracefully maneuvered her petite body to avoid all the incoming blows. Her body moved swiftly as her hand went up and down, almost with a rhythm as the green glow enabled her to cut through flesh and limbs. Her beautiful white skin again was once again marred with blood, as she let out a maniac laugh. She danced through the bodies, weaving in and out of them as she relished hearing their screams.

She danced and danced until at last, they were all dead. Until she was the only one left standing in the sea of blood that surrounded her.

Kabuto took a few steps back in horror.

"O-Orochimaru-sama, we can't possibly defeat her right now. I suggest we retreat now and attack her later when we'll be more prepared." The grey haired man stammered fearfully.

Orochimaru looked absolutely livid. "Why are all of you absolutely useless?" He hissed, as his amber eyes narrowed down. "I refuse to let this chance escape!" He whipped out his gun and aimed directly at Sakura's head. "Everything's going to end right now."

"You think a gun can hurt me?" Sakura exclaimed delightfully with a laugh. "You must be out of your mind."

Kisame quietly gave Sasuke and Naruto a push. "Go now." He muttered quietly. "This is your last chance to run away from this all."

Before Naruto or Sasuke could even answer him, Sakura's head snapped towards them as a blue barrier surrounded the whole room. "No one's leaving me." She whispered, as her red eyes stared at them in hunger. "I won't let anyone leave."

Orochimaru took that opportunity to shoot at her. Sakura rolled her eyes, looking highly unaffected- until the bullet pierced right through her shoulder.

She grabbed her injured shoulder as her eyes widened in shock. "What the-?" She cried, as blood weeped out of her wound. "How is this even possible?"

The snake-like man was starting to look smug now. "The fact that you have grown stronger does not mean that you are completely immune to the metal." He twirled the gun around in his hands. "You may have grown strong enough not to bend under the influence of it, yet if I shoot you with a bullet made out of zirconium it will be strong enough to go through that invisible force of yours."

His sinister smirk widened at the look of horror on her face.

"Yes, Sakura-chan. It means that I can kill you."

Sakura grimaced, stepping back as he pointed his gun at her once again. Fear briefly flashed through her face- but it wasn't only that. It was there only for a second, but Sasuke had seen it- her eyes had flashed green.

The Sakura he knew was still in there somewhere.

She wasn't gone yet.

They were still in time to save her.

**.**

**.**

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**.**

**.**

_She's beautiful as usual, _

_With bruises on her ego and_

_Her killer instinct tells her to _

_Be aware of evil men._

_._

_._

_._


	15. famous last words

**.**

**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED**

**stfuSPARKS**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or 'Famous Last Words' by My Chemical Romance :)._

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**XV.**

**Famous Last Words**

_"I am not afraid to keep on living, _

_I am not afraid to walk this world alone,_

_Honey if you stay,_

_I'll be forgiven,_

_Nothing you can say _

_Can stop me going home." _

_._

_._

_._

"Naruto!"

Sasuke's shout startled everyone else in the room, but the blond immediately understood what his friend was trying to say. Before anyone could actually stop him, Naruto, who was the closest to the pink haired girl, lunged forwards, knocking the girl over to the floor as Orochimaru's second shot grazed past her.

Sasuke took advantage or the confusion to attack Orochimaru- with one swift motion of his hand, he pulled out his pistol and fired three clean shots at he older man. The bullets embedded themselves straight into the pale man's chest, but to everyone's horror Orochimaru did not even flinch. He simply looked down at his newly inflicted wounds with a look of amusement on his face.

"Sasuke-kun, you know better than to attack me like that." Orochimaru said with a shake of his head. A part of Sasuke noted that he wasn't even bleeding.

"What _are _you?" Kiba, who had been standing in the shadows to merely observed finally stepped forwards, not being able to ignore all the insanity that was unfolding right before his eyes.

"I spent much of my time studying immortality." Orochimaru said with a hollow laugh. "Although I still haven't found a way to be fully immortal, I have found a way to be almost invincible. My entire body is a vessel- you can't harm me."

"A vessel?" Kiba echoed, wincing. "What the hell have you done to your body?"

Orochimaru did not answer- he simply gave them a smirk, before turning towards the pink haired girl lying on the floor. Naruto worriedly looked at the wound in her shoulder, trying to assess the damage done to her body. She pulled away from him, her face revealing nothing as she got back onto her feet.

"You think you can defeat me by changing your body?" She said with a giggle. "Oh, how naive of you. I could just slice your head off and it would be all over!"

Orochimaru aimed at her again. "I'd like to see you try, Sakura-chan. As long as this gun is in my hands, you can't even get _near _me."

"I wouldn't be so cocky, Orochimaru."

She jumped into the air as soon as the man opened fire at her, skillfully avoiding every single bullet as she twisted her body in mid-air. She slightly winced as one of the bullets grazed her arm, leaving a small red welt behind on her skin. She gracefully landed behind him, and her hands were glowing green in anticipation as she got ready to slice his head clean off- except he whirled around impossibly fast, shooting the gun at her once again, forcing her to immediately dodge.

Their little game of catch went on as they both tried to kill each other off- but every time she attempted to get close to him, he would fire at her, making it impossible for her to even touch him.

"You're going to run out of bullets sooner or later." She snarled, looking highly irritated.

"Then I'll just have to land a shot in you before I do." Orochimaru replied, a satisfied smirk covering his lips as soon as one of the shots grazed her leg as well.

Sasuke immediately ran over to where Naruto was, helping him up and getting him out of the way before the blond got hit by one of the bullets. "We have to do something right now." He muttered to his friend, who nodded in response. "This whole situation is getting out of control."

They were both about to sprint into action when someone grabbed them by the shouders, effectively pulling them back. "Are you deliberately trying to get yourselves killed?" Deidara hissed angrily. "This isn't your fight. What are you going to do after Orochimaru is dead? How are you going to deal with Inner Sakura?" Both boys remained silent at his onslaught of questions. "That's what I thought." Deidara finally said coldly.

"So do you expect us to just stay still while that guy kills Sakura-chan?" Naruto protested, jerking his shoulder away from the other blond.

"I saw it." Sasuke flatly stated, looking straight into Deidara's lone eye. "It was only for a second, but it was definitely there. Sakura's eyes turned green."

Deidara immediately tensed at his words. "That's impossible." He snarled. "That would mean-"

"That means Sakura-chan is still in there somewhere!" Naruto exclaimed, looking hopeful once again. "That would make sense! Remember how Inner Sakura said that she was always at the back of Sakura's mind, watching? Maybe it's the same for Sakura-chan! Maybe she's still in there somewhere, watching but not being able to do anything!"

"We can still help her." Sasuke said slowly. "If you want to get out of here, we won't stop you- but we won't follow you either."

Deidara shot Sasori an insecure look, and the redhead simply stood still for a moment, not giving him an answer.

"I will stay."

Deidara's blue eye widened at his partner's statement. "Sasori, you know better than anyone else that we've tried _everything_ to help her- we'll never be able to bring her back!"

"That's the thing Deidara- _we _have tried everything." Sasori said cryptically. "I am not saying that we'll be able to help her, but maybe it was never our job to do. I have faith in them." He glanced over at Sasuke and Naruto.

The long haired blond looked frustrated for a moment. Finally slumping his shoulders, he whirled around towards Itachi. "Get out of here!" He barked. "You and Kisame take the other two brats and start looking for an exit to this hellhole. If you go to Orochimaru's office on the top floor, you might be able to find a way to disable all the security measures that have been activated!"

The elder Uchiha nodded, and motioned for Kisame to follow him. Neji and Kiba simply stood there for a moment, staring at their friends.

"We'll be fine!" Naruto shot them a dashing grin. "We'll take care of things here, so you just find a way for us to get out."

Sasuke silently nodded. "We'll see you later."

Kiba cracked a small grin. "I'll never be able to catch up with you two- you're always so stubborn. Try not to get yourselves killed, alright?"

"We'll try our best as well." Neji quietly said, and with those last words, he and Kiba quickly ran out of the room to follow the other two Akatsuki members. Kabuto stepped forwards, getting ready to follow them when someone stepped out in front of him to block his path.

"Your opponent is me." Sasori coldly said, and with a flick of his hands, his stringed knives were back. Kabuto smirked, puling out a couple of sharp scalpels of his own.

They both rapidly moved, and with a swift clash Sasori's knives had collided with one of the scalpels in Kabuto's hands, effectively knocking it into a corner of the room. Kabuto rapidly took out a couple of needles and carefully aimed them at the strings tied to the tips of Sasori's hands, effectively cutting several strings off. Two of Sasori's knives clattered to the floor.

At the same time, Sakura collapsed onto her knees on the other side of the room. One of her eyes twitched as she held a trembling hand up to the gash on her arm, the one where a bullet had grazed her.

"Not so tough now, are we?" Orochimaru snickered, walking up to her. "It's probably the zirconium circulating around in your blood right now. The zirconium in your blood should act as poison- it'll slow down all your body functions until your heart stops beating. I spent many years waiting to eliminate you, Sakura-chan. You should have realized that I was not going to go down easily."

"Why give us the mission then?" Naruto blurted out, catching Orochimaru's attention. "If you had the means to kill her all along, why did you pay us to do it for you without even letting us know that zirconium was her weakness?"

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "You don't understand, Naruto-kun. Three years ago, the six of you thought you could abandon the mission without even asking me. How insolent of you- I considered to kill you off one by one until you were all dead as a form of punishment for showing disrespect for me. But then, an ingenious idea came to my head! I saw the way all of you were devastated when Lee-kun died- what better punishment than to put you on a mission and have you die at Sakura-chan's hands one by one right before your friends?"

"It didn't work though!" Naruto retorted back. "Sakura-chan didn't kill any of us!"

"Indeed." The snake-like man said darkly. "I expected Sakura-chan to use her powers to eliminate you when you would try to eliminate you. I didn't expect her to be so soft on you... and I never thought you would actually befriend her. I guess I shouldn't have underestimated her humanity so much- I didn't think she had it in her."

"So it was all just a ruse from the start." Sasuke said, stepping up. "This whole mission was just an excuse for you to punish us."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "I thought you would have figured it out sooner, Sasuke-kun. I'm surprised you've only found out now." He smiled once again. "But I guess you were too busy being blinded by Sakura-chan to notice, hm?"

The younger Uchiha immediately tensed at his words.

Sakura was heavily panting now- just like Orochimaru had said, the zirconium in her blood seemed to be affecting her entire body. Her skin was turning pale and her dark red eyes were losing their shine. Inner Sakura grit her teeth, and without hesitating, she dug her thin fingers into the wound in her shoulder to pull out the bullet that was deeply embedded into her skin. Her eyes never wavered as she finally extracted the bullet, as her own blood coated her hands.

"It's too late for that, Sakura-chan." Orochimaru told her. "Even if you got rid of the bullet in your body, its obvious that the zirconium is already circulating in your body. All you have done is delayed your death for a couple of minutes."

"I did not get so far to have everything taken away from me!" Inner Sakura snarled. "I refuse to die! I have not waited all these years just to be killed!"

Orochimaru took a couple of steps towards her. "What can you do? You can't even stand on your own feet anymore. How do you plan to defeat me now, Sakura-chan?"

Inner Sakura looked pained as Orochimaru crouched down so that they were at eye-level. He gently lifted her chin up with one hand and raised his gun to her head with another. "Sakura-chan, we could have done great things." He whispered into her ear, almost sweetly. "It's a real shame, though I can say that I am honored to be the one to take your life." He paused, as his finger rested on the trigger. He looked straight into her eyes, before whispering, "Goodbye, Sakura-chan."

Deidara was too busy trying to distract Kabuto from his partner to reach her in time. "What are you doing!" He screamed at Sasuke, who was simply staring at the scene in front of his eyes. "GO!"

Sasuke was sure that every inch of his body was screaming at him to move- but his feet were planted into the ground. He couldn't even budge- he let fear overcome his entire body for the second time in his life. He wanted to run forwards and save her, but this all too painfully familiar situation was like a stab to the heart.

A picture of a younger version of Itachi standing over their father with a gun briefly flashed in front of his eyes.

Even back then, he hadn't been able to do anything. All he had done was stare as Itachi took the life of their father right before his eyes. He remembered screaming in agony at the mental pain- but he still hadn't moved.

For the second time in his life, Sasuke felt like he was losing the most important person in his life.

Then, the deafening sound of a gunshot filled the room.

.

.

* * *

.

.

Hidan finally collapsed, as his scythe clattered to the ground next to him. Even through his pain, he forced a satisfied grin onto his face as he stared up at the man who was probably going to kill him within the next minute.

"That was great." He panted out, as his unique violet eyes sparkled under the sky. "I haven't had such a good fucking fight in ages. I have to admit that you're pretty fucking strong."

Kakashi's only visible eye looked slightly amused. "You were a good opponent as well." He admitted.

Hidan chuckled, wincing as he coughed out blood. "So what are you waiting for? Hurry up and kill me." He rasped.

The grey haired man standing over him looked at him strangely for a minute, before shaking his head. "Maybe another day," He said mysteriously, turning away from him. "I don't want to kill you just yet. I want to fight you again in the future, when we'll both be stronger."

"Won't your boss be pissed?" Hidan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"If what you said before was true, then I probably won't have a boss by the end of today." Kakashi answered him, putting his weapons back in place. "And I was never loyal to him in the first place. Working for him just worked out to my advantage, that's all."

Hidan looked at him strangely. "How would working for a fucker like that work out to your advantage?" He snorted, looking highly skeptical.

"I just enjoy encounters with strong fighters." Kakashi said, idly standing by as Hidan sat up with a grunt. "Orochimaru lets me take on the strongest opponents. It's much better than just wandering the streets and running into petty criminals who aren't even worth my time."

Hidan could sympathize with that- it was one of his main reasons for being in the Akatsuki after all. He wasn't usually one to follow orders, and he didn't usually share much of their Leader's ideals, but he stuck with it for the mere reason that he could get away with torture and murder quite easily. As long as the Akatsuki could help with that, he saw no reason to leave.

"So what are you going to do now?" Hidan asked him, looking over at his other two unconscious partners.

Kakashi shrugged. "I don't know. Look for someone else to work for, I guess."

Hidan slowly got to his feet, looking up at the sky. "I hope you don't mind too much, but I've got shit to take care of elsewhere." He shrugged his cloak back on, using the last of his remaining strength to hoist both Zetsu and Kakuzu onto each shoulder. "Something tells me that Pinky needs our help right now."

Kakashi nodded. "I'll see you again one day. Hopefully we'll both be stronger when I do." He said, and quickly disappeared into the tall abandoned apartment buildings. Hidan grinned, looking quite amused.

"Sure thing, ya bastard."

Supporting both Zetsu and Kakuzu's weights was not easy; it took Hidan longer than he had predicted to reach headquarters again. When he burst through the doors, Shikamaru and Shino did not have encouraging looks on their faces.

"What now?" Hidan groaned, dumping the two limp bodies on the floor. He collapsed onto the couch himself, wincing as he put too much weight on one of his injuries.

"We don't know what's going on." Shikamaru said quietly, shaking his head. "The last time we got any feedback at all, things were getting out of control. Something happened to Sakura's powers and we vaguely heard something that sounded like 'Inner Sakura' before some strange force cut off the connection."

"Fuck, did you just say 'Inner Sakura'?" Hidan asked, frowning. "That's pretty fucking bad. I mean I know I told that Kakashi bastard that it was going to happen, but jesus I was just trying to scare him off! I didn't think that it would actually happen."

Shino and Shikamaru were both looking extremely confused. "Do you mind telling us about Inner Sakura?" Shino asked, taking a seat across him.

Hidan sighed, looking irritated. "Well to put it simply, Sakura started to act a little strange soon after she joined us."

"Strange how?" Shikamaru pressured.

"Well, she was out on a mission one day with Sasori and Deidara- I don't know how it happened exactly, but apparently she lost control of her powers and started to act all psycho and shit, killing whoever got in her way." Hidan said, rubbing his chin. "I wasn't there to witness it, but apparently it was fucking brutal." His eyes slightly lightened up. "I mean I thought it was fucking cool and shit, but... even _I_ have to admit that it's definitely not something Pinky would do."

Shikamaru looked surprised. "She never lost control like that around us," He commented.

"Well fucking _duh._" Hidan retorted, rolling his eyes. "It's not like she went all out on you like she did when she was with us. She was trying to restrain her powers as much as she could, remember?"

"I carefully observed her for years. I think I would have noticed if she was displaying these strange bursts of power." Shino said calmly.

"Did it ever occur to you that we fucking tried hard to hide any trace of her pscychotic breakdowns?" Hidan shot back. "If we didn't clean up after her messes, people were going to start to suspect. She would attract too much attention, and all sorts of people like Orochimaru... or even fucking _worse_, would try to get their filthy hands on her. I wouldn't be surprised if the _government_ went after her. We had to make sure that no one would know, and no one is better than the Akatsuki at covering teaces."

"What do you mean when you say that she went 'psycho'?" Shino continued to ask.

Hidan scratched his chin. "Well how can I put it? She was even fucking worse than I was, and she doesn't even believe in Jashin-sama. At least I have an excuse for slaughtering people the way I do. Pinky, on the other hand, would freak out and pretty much become the biggest bitch I've ever seen in my life."

"And what does that have to do with 'Inner Sakura'?" Shikamaru asked.

"Well calm the fuck down and I'll tell you." Hidan shot him a glare. "Whenever she would spazz out, she would act a little... strange. Well besides from the whole bloodthirsty shit- she just acted like a completely different person. She called herself 'Inner Sakura' most of the time. I just thought she was batshit insane."

"Thought?" Shino repeated. "Did something change your mind?"

The silver haired man's expression darkened. "I know I'm not the most sane person in the world. I know I'm fucked up in my own way- but there's no mistaking it. Inner Sakura is definitely another fucking person. You don't have to believe me- but everyone else who's seen her knows it too. You have to actually witness it to believe it. That Inner Sakura thing... whoever she is, she's the most fucked up person I've ever met before. She always used to say that she would make the real Sakura disappear one day... and for some reason I didn't have a hard time believing her."

"Do you think that Inner Sakura made an appearance once again?" Shikamaru asked, looking concerned. "Could that be the reason why they were talking about her right before the connection went dead?"

"I wouldn't be surprised." Hidan said, his violet eyes slightly darkening. "Inner Sakura only appears when she forces out too much of her powers. It's been way too long since she actually had the chance to use them properly." He abruptly stood up, wiping away the dried blood on his forehead.

"Where are you going?" Shikamaru skeptically raised an eyebrow. "You're in no condition to go anywhere."

Hidan grit his teeth. "I'm going to fucking check on Pinky, that's what." He hissed back in response. "I'll get rid of that Inner Sakura brat."

"Why would you do that?" Shino quietly asked.

The silver haired Akatsuki member gave them his trademark sadistic smirk.

"There's only room for one psycho in the Akatsuki, and I don't plan on giving it up anytime soon."

.

.

* * *

.

.

There was a deadly silence in the vast room.

All the fighting had come to a stop.

No one moved, no one spoke.

The only sound that filled the silence was the cold _thud_ of a lifeless body falling to the floor as blood quietly gushed out onto the floor.

_Was it finally over?_

Orochimaru's body lay cold and lifeless on the floor, as crimson liquid stained his long, black locks of hair splayed out on the dirty floor. It had been a clean shot- the bullet had pierced his head through and through. The bullet, which had exited on the other side of his head, was now embedded into the floor, a cold reminder of the actions that had just taken place.

The hand holding the gun that had killed Orochimaru calmly lowered.

Gaara stood over the dead man, his dark green eyes holding more emotion than anyone had ever seen in them before. It was a mixture of anger, sadness, passion, and much, much more. He slowly pocketed his gun, as his tired eyes glanced over at the pink haired girl slumped over on the floor in front of him.

"You're not Sakura."

Sasuke would never admit it, but he was slightly impressed. He and Naruto had both refused to believe that this wasn't Sakura, even after Deidara had told them countless times. Gaara, however only needed one look and he _knew_. She hadn't even talked to him yet- all it took for him was one look at her physical appearance.

"Gaara." The girl in front of him breathed. She seemed to momentarily forget about all her pain as she reached a delicate hand to brush his hollow cheek. "Finally... after _years_..." There was something strange about the way she was talking to him; her tone was completely different than the one she had used with Naruto, Deidara and even _Sasuke_.

There was something that was heartbreakingly sincere about it.

For the first time ever, he did not react to her touch. Sasuke had been expecting him to jerk back or punch her in the face again, like last time- but he simply let her touch him. After a minute, he finally crouched down and gently raised his own hand to touch hers over his cheek.

"I've always been watching you from the sidelines." Inner Sakura whispered, as tears started to gather in her eyes. "I fell in love with you from the very first moment I saw you. All those years ago, when Sakura was still in full control... I could never reach out to you. Were you still able to feel my presence? Did my feelings somehow reach out to you?" She choked on her own words.

The redhead slowly leaned his forehead onto hers, as tears slid down her cheeks.

"I always knew you were there." Gaara murmured in a deep voice. "Your feelings were always able to reach me."

Naruto silently shuffled over to where Sasuke was standing, trying not to interrupt their moment. "Doesn't this bother you at all?" Naruto whispered worriedly. "I mean Sakura-chan is kinda like your woman and everything."

"No." Sasuke said quietly, his obsidian eyes never leaving the couple crouched on the floor. "If Inner Sakura really is an entirely different person, then it would be perfectly logical for her to fall in love with someone along the way."

"Aa." Deidara finally spoke next to him, looking slightly tired. "The Inner Sakura that was still hidden inside of her all those years ago probably fell in love with Gaara as soon as the real Sakura met him. At the time, Sakura-chan's powers were still dormant, so Inner Sakura had no chances of taking control. She probably watched him from behind an invisible wall for all those years. However, that meant that her feelings for him probably somehow influenced the real Sakura-chan's thinking, and Sakura-chan was unconsciously drawn to him because of that."

Naruto scratched his cheek, looking baffled. "So are you saying that Sakura-chan was never in love with Gaara?"

Deidara shook his head. "It was Inner Sakura who was in love with him all along. Her feelings were just deep enough to influence Sakura-chan."

"So they're meeting for the first time?" Naruto asked, his eyes turning slightly sad.

"Indeed they are." Sasuke murmured.

Inner Sakura choked out a sob.

"I always dreamed of this day." She whispered again, as her eerily beautiful yet sinister red eyes stared into his green ones. "I knew that if I just kept on trying my best, I'd be able to meet you one day. Did I do well?"

"You did your best." Gaara said, after a pause. "That's what counts."

"How did you know I was here?" She asked him, as he wiped away a couple of her tears. "I could never come out to talk to you at the time. I was positive that you didn't know of my existance. No one else ever noticed me."

"I saw it in your eyes." Gaara told her quietly. "Everytime I looked at her, I could somehow see you."

"So does this mean we can finally be together?" She asked him with a broken smile on her face. "Can we stop waiting for the future now?"

Her breathing was becoming more ragged now. The zirconium in her blood was finally starting to numb her body- Sasuke could see her blue veins clearly through her pale skin. "If we don't do something now, she'll die." He said, stepping forwards. "We have to-"

"Wait." Deidara reached his arm out to stop the raven haired boy. "Let them say goodbye."

Gaara pulled away from her and shook his head. "We have to part now," he told her seriously. "You can't stay here."

Her eyes flashed in anger. "Are you saying that you don't want to be with me?" She asked him, looking hurt. "I've been patient for all these years and you're going to reject me now?"

He grabbed her hands and held them tightly. "My only wish is to be by your side." He told her, his green eyes boring into her. "But this isn't supposed to be. You and I are both destined to meet at another time and another place, as different people. Your feelings were strong enough to reach out to me this time, and I have no doubts that you will be able to find me once more, when the time comes."

She let out a broken cry, burying her face into his chest. He quietly stroked her hair with a gentleness that no one had ever seen in him before.

"Do we have to say goodbye?" She whispered, raising her tear-streaked face.

"Only for now."

They could only watch in silence as Gaara dipped his head down to softly brush his lips against hers.

"Now sleep. One day, we will meet again."

Inner Sakura's eyelids slowly started to close as she leaned into his chest once more. "I love you." Her words were nothing but a mere whisper now, momentarily floating in the air before disappearing. "One day... we'll be happy together."

He simply kept on stroking her hair as she drifted off into unconsciousness.

"I'll be waiting for you."

.

.

* * *

.

.

_Today, I woke up in a sea of darkness. Who am I? What am I? _

_I have no idea of what is going on. I'm so confused- I am trapped in this emptiness, with nothing else. I am completely alone. _

_I'm so scared... so scared._

_What is happening to me? _

_._

_._

_._

_The last time I awoke, I was in a sea of darkness. I don't know how much time has passed by, but it feels like it's been an eternity since that time._

_Things are not so dark anymore. I can finally see the world- it looks so beautiful. There are so many lively colors and so many different things to discover- but I can't seem to control anything. It feels like I'm simply a spectator, watching but not acting. I think I'm in someone else's body. I wonder if I am a manifestation of her imagination, or if I'm actually a separate entity. _

_I've caught glimpses of her in the mirror sometimes. She's a pretty twelve year old girl with the strangest pink hair and the saddest green eyes. _

_I wonder why she's so sad? _

_Maybe she's lonely, just like me. _

_._

_._

_._

_As always, I am not allowed to control Sakura-chan's body._

_I merely watch as she lives her life._

_I desperately want her to notice me. I can tell she's lonely and I am too- we could keep each other company for the rest of our lives. We wouldn't need anyone else in this world, if only she would finally see that I exist._

_How can she not know? I've been inside of her this entire time. Sometimes I try my best to reach out to her, but she remains oblivious. _

_I keep hoping that one day, she will notice me. _

_I am selfish- I want her to stay lonely. _

_That way, when she finally discovers that I am here for her, I will be all she ever needs. _

_._

_._

_._

_I have never paid attention to people in Sakura-chan's life before. _

_They don't matter to me- they shouldn't matter to either. _

_However, I think I fell in love today. _

_Sakura-chan was walking by a playground when she turned to look at a lonely red haired boy who looks like he's her age. I think she would've just walked by him if it wasn't for me- but I was suddenly overcome by an inexplicable need to talk to him._

_He looked lonely, just like me. _

_I knew it the moment I saw him- he is my soul mate. _

_I vigorously wished for her to go talk to him- _

_Maybe my feelings reached out, because she headed straight towards him._

_His name is Gaara._

_._

_._

_._

_I don't understand Sakura-chan. How could she just let Gaara slip away from her? _

_If I was in control of this body, I would definitely go bring him back myself. I'd make sure he never leaves my side. _

_I love him so much. She doesn't reall love him- she only stays by his side because I want to. This only proves how powerful my love for him is- sometimes, when he looks straight at Sakura-chan, I wonder if he can sense my presence inside. _

_Instead, Sakura-chan is wasting her time moping around at home and occasionally talking to some Lee guy. He looks funny. I don't like him much. Why is she wasting her time with him? She should go look for Gaara._

_I miss him. _

_._

_._

_._

_Sakura-chan was in an accident, and she lost all of her memory. _

_Silly girl. She doesn't realize that the guy named Sai is the same one who tried to kill her and the one who erased her memories. She just sits there an accepts all the lies he feeds her. It's so frustrating to watch! She trusts people too easily. _

_She doesn't remember Gaara. That means that I won't be able to see him for awhile. _

_I'm so angry. _

_How could she forget Gaara? _

_If _I _was the one in control, I would never forget about him. _

_If only..._

_._

_._

_._

_Ever since the accident, Sakura-chan has been starting to discover her powers. _

_She still doesn't understand that these powers are the only other thing we have in common apart from the body we share. Everyone around her thinks that her powers are so fascinating- none of them realize that she only holds a tenth of our powers. _

_No one knows that I'm much more powerful than she is. _

_However, I won't complain. When she uses her powers, I can feel a small rift open up in this endless abyss of darkness. _

_Just a little more, and I think I'll be able to escape. _

_._

_._

_._

_I have never been so grateful for Sakura-chan's friends before._

_She has been hanging out with some group called the Akatsuki recently. Today, her blond friend, Deidara, and the redhead, Sasori, took her on a mission. _

_Things got out of control. Sakura tried to use her powers, but she isn't strong enough yet. She tried to use more than her body will allow- which finally gave me the chance to venture out into the outside world._

_The feeling of finally taking over her body was amazing- I can't put it into words. _

_All this power that I've been keeping bottled up inside of me- I had to use it. The feeling of this immense power finally being put to use was too much- I couldn't help myself. _

_Killing is so much fun. _

_I wonder why Sakura-chan's never done it before?_

_._

_._

_._

_Sakura-chan has been generous these days. _

_The more she uses her power, the more I get to take control of her body. I don't think she even realizes it, but her annoying friends at the Akatsuki are starting to realize that I'm not their same Sakura-chan. They call me 'Inner-Sakura'. I guess that will have to do until I finally find a name for myself._

_Whatever. _

_I'm sure that if this keeps on happening, one day I will be able to open the rift to permanently switch places with Sakura-chan. Then she'll be the one forced to watch in the background now. I'll be the one to finally take charge. _

_Then, I'll finally be able to meet Gaara._

_I can't wait. _

_Until then, I'll just spend more time killing people. _

_Blood is so beautiful._

_._

_._

_._

_Deidara and Sasori annoyed me today._

_So I ripped Deidara's eye out and set Sasori on fire._

_It was refreshing. _

_._

_._

_._

_My time is coming soon. _

_I can feel it. _

_Finally._

_._

_._

_._

_This is probably the last time I will be able to form an actual thought. _

_I feel so sleepy..._

_So tired..._

_It's strange. I've never felt tired before. Even when Sakura-chan slept, I could never do the same. _

_I thought I was finally going to be free. I thought I could finally venture the outside world, and start a new life for myself. Yet here I am again, trapped in the darkness. ._

_I was always so lonely..._

_But I met Gaara. _

_I finally got to touch him, and talk to him as myself. _

_He knew- all along, he knew it was me inside Sakura-chan's body. He knew that it was me who loved him, right from the beginning._

_My feelings somehow reached out to him, even in the darkness. _

_He told me that this isn't our time to be together, but he promised me that we'll be together again one day. _

_He trusts that my heart will reach out to him once again, one day. _

_Even if I'm back in the darkness once again, I don't mind. _

_I know that one day..._

_One day we'll be happy together._

_But now..._

_For now... _

_I feel so sleepy. _

_I think I'll close my eyes..._

_And rest. _

.

.

* * *

.

.

_'Cause I see you lying next to me,_

_With words I thought I'd never speak,_

_Awake and unafraid,_

_Asleep or dead..._

.

.


	16. seven minutes in heaven

**.**

**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED**

**stfuSPARKS**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or '7 Minutes in Heaven' by Fall Out Boy._

* * *

_._

_._

_._

**XVI. **

**7 Minutes in Heaven**

_"I'll be stuck fixated on one star,_

_When the world is crashing down." _

_._

_._

_._

_Was it finally over_?

No one spoke.

Sasuke silently observed from afar as the pink haired girl's eyes finally fluttered shut. Her small figure slumped forwards as she lost consciousness- yet to his relief she was still breathing. Gaara's grip around her tightened for a mere second before he gently set her limp form on the ground with a tenderness that no one had ever seen in him before.

His rough hand ghosted over her cheek as his dark jade eyes stared at her with a haunting look- almost longingly.

After what seemed like an eternity, the redhead finally stood up, looking directly at Sasuke as he did so.

"I'll leave it up to you now, Uchiha." He quietly murmured, but Sasuke heard him loud and clear.

"Aa."

Gaara looked down at her sleeping figure one last time before finally walking away.

Naruto looked at him with a strange expression in his cerulean blue eyes. "What are you going to do now?" He asked in an unusually quiet voice. "Where are you going to go?"

The red haired boy was silent for a minute. "Anywhere." he finally replied, not turning around. "We will probably never meet again, Naruto."

Naruto clenched his fists. "Why does it have to be that way?" he grit out. "Will you ever open your eyes to see that we're here for you? Me, Kiba, Shikamaru... and even Neji and Sasuke-teme! We're a team Gaara... and that means that we're always here for each other! What will it take for you to see that you don't have to be alone?"

Gaara finally turned around to face his blond teammate. "It's the only way." he said, his gaze as intense as ever. "I can no longer be around Sakura, not after today." He momentarily paused, before speaking again. "We may not have always had enjoyable moments, but I was always proud to be a part of this team."

A pained expression overcame Naruto's face. "We can work this out." he whispered.

"Naruto, let him go."

The blond whipped his head around at his best friend's words. The Uchiha briefly set his hand on Naruto's shoulder before walking towards the redhead until they were standing face-to-face. The two extremely intimidating men simply stared at each other for a second.

"Thank you."

Sasuke's words were curt and simple, but Gaara understood the meaning hidden behind them all too well.

_Thank you for letting her go._

The Uchiha offered him an outstretched hand. Without hesitating, Gaara firmly shook it.

"Goodbye."

_._

_._

_Lee. _

_Forgive me. _

_I never meant to let my selfishness take over me. _

_I was broken. I still am, but for the first time I have discovered that I am still fixable. _

_I was blinded by hatred. _

_My words will never bring you back, I know that. _

_Nothing I can say or do will ever make it okay. _

_But perhaps-_

_Perhaps my actions today were a small step forwards. _

_I will no longer look back on the past. _

_Have I done well, Lee? _

_._

_._

That was the last time anyone ever saw Sabaku no Gaara again.

_._

_._

* * *

_._

_._

"I can't hear anything anymore." Kiba's face was solemn when he finally spoke up, interrupting the silence.

Neji whirled around to face his teammate. He hadn't been able to hear anything for quite awhile now, but Kiba's ears were different- his hearing was extremely sensitive and more accurate than any other human being he knew. If Kiba said that he couldn't hear anything anymore, it meant that something had definitely happened.

"Do you think we lost?" Kiba's voice was even more hushed.

Kisame merely raised an eyebrow at the younger boy. "Are you kidding me?" he skeptically asked. "Did you see Pinky back there? I mean how the hell can anyone win against her? They'll be fine."

Neji was slightly disturbed. "But is that _thing_ that's taken over Sakura's body... isn't that thing our enemy too?"

Kiba shuddered at the implication of his words, but the two Akatsuki members did not look disturbed in the least.

"You have known Sakura for less than a month, but we are people who lived with her for an entire year. While I understand if you can't put your trust into her to overcome this, we are confident that she will be fine." Itachi finally said, not even bothering to look at the Hyuuga as they rapidly made their way to the top floor.

Their footsteps were entirely too loud in the silence of the building. The only objects that lit up their way were the green emergency lights that marked the exits.

"We should concentrate in finding a way out." Kisame changed the subject. "Even if the others succeeded in killing Orochimaru, it won't mean squat if we can't find an escape route for them. We should be able to find something if we access Orochimaru's main office."

"It's bad that we lost the connection with Shino awhile back." Neji said with a frown. "I'm positive that he could have found a solution for us. If we can find a way to re-establish that connection, it may just be enough."

"But we don't know what it is that's blocking out the connection." Kiba mumbled. "I don't think it's Orochimaru; he shut the power down in the entire building. Any equipment that could be used can't possibly work right now."

A surprised look overcame Kisame's face. "You think it's Pinky's powers that are causing this?"

Kiba shook his head. "It's just a speculation, I can't be sure."

"It would make sense." Itachi said with a nod, as they finally reached the top floor. "But that's not an issue that we can deal with right now. The least we can do is find a way to turn the power back on. It would make things a lot easier if we could move around with some decent lighting."

"We should split up here." Neji immediately said. "We can cover more ground in a shorter amount of time if we do."

Kisame nodded in agreement. He was about to join Itachi's side, when Neji shook his head. "I'll go with the Uchiha. Kiba will go with you." The Hyuuga said. Itachi raised an eyebrow but did not say otherwise. Kiba looked like he was about to protest, but he promptly shut his mouth when Neji shot him a glare.

The tall, blue-skinned man shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really care as long as we get the hell out of here quickly." he said, and started to walk down the hallway to the left. Kiba spluttered and gave Neji one last confused look before running over to catch up with his temporary partner.

"You have something to ask of me." Itachi smoothly said as soon as Kisame and Kiba both disappeared from view.

Neji was impressed- Uchiha Itachi was just as perceptive as he had imagined him to be.

"I don't know what happened between you and your brother." The Hyuuga calmly began, not feeling the least bit intimidated by Itachi's presence. "And I'm not going to ask you about it either. Whatever happened in the past between the two of you is honestly none of my concern. However, you owe everyone an explanation for something else."

"Oh?" Itachi's eyebrow rose. "And what would that be, Hyuuga?"

"Your brother is clearly not a normal human being, just like Sakura." Neji told him. "I don't doubt that it has to do with your rocky past- and I have a strong suspicion that it has to do with the fact that your eyes are naturally a similar shade of red."

"You are just as smart as they said you'd be, Hyuuga Neji." A slight smirk graced Itachi's handsome features. "But you are right. My little brother isn't normal, just like Sakura."

"Why?" Neji pressed, as his eyebrows knitted together into a frown. "What's wrong with them?"

"Nothing is _wrong _with them." Itachi took a seat on one of the chairs, motioning for Neji to do the same. "I admit that I would not mind having their powers- they could prove to be extremely useful."

The chocolate haired boy was starting to get frustrated with the way Itachi kept on evading his questions. However, he didn't let his face betray anything. "You weren't surprised in the least when Sasuke and Naruto displayed... abnormal features on the school grounds a couple of days ago. It's almost as if you were expecting for it to happen."

"Maybe I was." Itachi's answer was cryptic once again.

"Enough with the bullshit, Itachi."

The Uchiha only looked even more amused at Neji's irritation. "I'll be honest with you Hyuuga, I don't know much either. I don't have most of the answers to your questions- all I can tell you is that these powers have been manifesting in the Uchiha bloodline for as long as our clan history goes back. I do not know why, or how, it just is. We have just come to accept that fact without requiring to know why."

"Does this have to do with the fact that your entire clan is dead?"

Itachi's smirk immediately disappeared, being immediately replaced by a blank look. Somehow, it was scarier than any expression Neji had ever seen on him before.

"That is none of your business Hyuuga. I have been kind enough to answer as much as I could, so I suggest you don't overstep the limits."

Neji immediately knew that their discussion was over for now. Itachi gracefully got up from his seat and walked down the corridor in the opposite direction that Kisame and Kiba had taken. The white eyed boy quietly followed him without another word.

He wasn't anxious- the truth was going to come out sooner or later, and he had the slightest feeling that it would be very soon.

_._

_._

* * *

_._

_._

The atmosphere in the room was heavy.

"What do we do about him?" Sasori asked flatly, motioning towards the grey haired man who was regarding them with with his ever present smile. "Can I just kill him off?" He slightly leaned forwards into an offensive stance once again.

"I have no reason to fight you anymore." Kabuto declared, throwing the remainder of his scalpels to the floor. "You have won already. Surely you will not kill me in cold blood? After all, I was simply acting under orders."

Deidara's pale blue eyes suddenly turned extremely cold as they flashed over towards their only standing enemy. "I don't think you realize who you're dealing with, you bastard." He hissed, abruptly marching towards Kabuto and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. "I'm not some goody-goody merciful person. I'm a member of the _Akatsuki_- I don't forgive and forget. You should be grateful that I haven't cut off every single one of your fingers yet." He pulled out one of his trademark explosives from his pouch with a sinister grin. "Or maybe I should just shove this down your throat and watch you panic right before you explode into a thousand tiny pieces, yeah."

Kabuto's eyes slightly widened in fear at the blond's words.

"No!"

Naruto's voice snapped him out of his maniac daze.

"What?" Deidara snapped, looking quite irritated.

"Do you really think this is what Sakura would want?" The blond asked him. His bright blue eyes briefly swept over towards Kabuto's coal black ones. "I don't have anything against killing the guy, but try to put yourself in Sakura-chan's shoes for a moment. She's been tormenting herself over the deaths of Lee and Idate- adding one more name to the list of deaths in her name wouldn't help her much at all."

"But this piece of shit is different!" Deidara spat, looking furious. "He's the enemy! He's one of the people that tried to kill her _and _all the people around her!"

Naruto shook his head. "You know Sakura-chan better than anyone else, Deidara. She's not the kind of person to put that into account."

The said blond seethed- he didn't want to believe it, but he knew Naruto was right. He momentarily tightened his grip on Kabuto's shirt before aggressively throwing him to the floor. "If I ever see you again, I won't hesitate to cut every single limb off your body." He threatened icily. "Now scram."

Kabuto scrambled to his feet, and shot one last fearful look at the occupants of the room. His usual pleasant smile was long gone. "You people are all crazy." He shakily announced. "Every single one of you."

"It would be boring if we weren't." Deidara answered with a feral grin.

Kabuto ran away and never looked back again.

"Thanks." Naruto shot the other blond a tired grin.

"Don't thank me." Deidara snapped back. "I did it for Sakura-chan, not for you."

They were both distracted when the pink haired girl lying on the floor groaned, turning over to lay on her side. Naruto immediately rushed to her side- he wasn't surprised to see that Sasuke was already there.

"She's still unconscious." Sasuke flatly said, not turning away from her.

"Do you think Inner Sakura is finally gone for good?" Naruto whispered, also looking down at her limp body.

"Aa. I think so."

Deidara joined them on the floor, looking panicked now. "She's lost a lot of blood." He nervously commented, observing the wound on her shoulder. "The zirconium is probably still circulating in her blood- we have to get some medical care for her as quickly as possible.

"What the hell are we going to do?" Naruto's hands were sweating as he tried to cradle her head onto his knees in attempt to move her into a more comfortable position. "Where are we going to find a doctor or hospital that can extract zirconium from people's blood?"

Realization dawned upon Sasuke in a sick kind of way.

"We're not." He quietly said with a blank look. "I doubt that many people know what zirconium even is- like Orochimaru said, it's an extremely rare type of earth metal. We're not going to find anyone who works in a hospital that even knows what that is."

"So are you saying that we have no choice but to sit and watch while Sakura-chan dies right in front of us?" Naruto's voice was starting to become shrilly. "How could we ever do that?"

He watched in shock as Sasuke's blank face immediately morphed into an expression that no one had ever seen on him before. It was a mixture of extreme pain and anger, that seemed to be mostly directed at himself.

"Do you think I'm okay with this, dobe?" The Uchiha hissed, clenching his fists.

Naruto's face softened, as he watched his best friend's shoulder shake. Sasuke had always been distant and reluctant to get close to people. Naruto had no idea of what had happened in the dark boy's past to make him into the person he was today- but the blond knew that it had to be something emotionally devastating for Sasuke to hate all of humanity so much. The Uchiha always tried to hide behind a tough front, but Naruto saw right through it- he saw the way Sasuke _feared _people.

No matter how much Sasuke would deny it, Naruto knew.

But then Sakura had wormed her way into their lives- and everything had changed. Naruto was boisterous and loud, and he tended to act like an idiot most of the time, but he was not completely stupid. He had silently observed the way Sasuke's cold, lonely eyes had slowly softened over time, and the way his usual trademark smirk would look more like a smile when he hung around the pink haired girl.

Naruto saw the way Sasuke would sometimes stare longingly at Sakura's back, with a silent nostalgia hidden in his eyes. Maybe the younger Uchiha thought that he could fool everyone else, but he couldn't fool his best friend.

Naruto knew that Uchiha Sasuke had fallen in love.

And now, the only girl he had ever fallen in love with was about to slip out of his grasp.

"Why couldn't we do anything?" Sasuke finally let his anger get the best of him as he slammed his fist onto the floor. "What's the use in having these powers if I can't even use them to save her?" All Naruto could do was watch as his strong best friend broke down in front of him for the very first time.

"Teme..."

"Our powers... we can never use them to save anyone." Sasuke murmured with empty eyes. "We're only meant to destroy."

"What the hell, Sasuke!" Naruto growled, starting to grow infuriated. "Stop talking like we've lost all hope! You-"

Sasori effectively prevented their oncoming argument when he put one hand on each of their shoulders. "We don't have time for this right now." He murmured, shaking his head. "You can argue all you want later. Right now, Sakura is running out of time as we speak. We should at least try to get her out of here- Shino has been studying her powers for a long time now, he might be able to help us. All we have to do is keep her alive until we can reach him."

Naruto felt his cheeks burn in shame as he turned his face away from the redhead, knowing that Sasuke was probably sharing his same thoughts. Here they were, arguing like two boys who had barely hit puberty while Sakura was dying right in front of them.

"First of all, we have to stop the bleeding." Sasori told them with a calmness that Naruto envied. "If she doesn't die from the zirconium poisoning, she'll definitely die from blood loss."

Sasuke immediately took off his shirt and tore it into pieces. Making sure not to move her around too much, he gingerly wrapped the cloth around her wound, slightly wincing as her blood seeped through the material, slightly staining his hands. "That should stop the bleeding at least a little." He said with a nod, wiping the sweat off of his forehead.

He had to stay composed.

_For Sakura._

However, he found this extremely hard to do when red lights started to flash all around them and a deafening siren sounded through the building.

_._

_._

* * *

_._

_._

Kiba immediately groaned, grabbing his head in pain as a loud siren started to wail above their heads. He fell to his knees, trying to block the sounds out of his sensitive ears.

Kisame's head snapped up as red lights continuously flashed on and off in the dark. "What the hell...?" He growled, quickly yanking the younger brunette back onto his feet. "C'mon kid, we can't stay here. We have to go meet up with the others- this situation isn't looking too good."

Kiba pulled his hands away from his ears with a miserable wince, but did not complain as he nodded in agreement.

Itachi and Neji were waiting for them back at the staircase.

"Did you any of you touch anything?" Kisame shouted over the noise.

Neji shook his head. "Neither of us even _found _anything. We were both just walking down a hallway when everything became like this!"

Kisame's mouth was set into a grim line. "We have to go back to the others." He barked, not waiting for them to agree before bolting down the stairs. "They must be in trouble. We can only hope that the worst hasn't happened yet."

Neji felt his heart pounding in his heart as he followed the blue skinned man down back to the sixth floor. He had already lost Lee- what kind of ridiculous leader would he be if he lost any more members? He couldn't imagine the thought of Naruto's crimson matted sunny hair or Sasuke's pale skin covered in blood- it just hurt too much.

He was the first to arrive. His pearl white eyes immediately swept over the area to see if anything was wrong. The first thought that came to his mind was: _Have we lost? _

But no. Orochimaru's dead body was lying in a corner of the room in a pool of his own blood. Kabuto was gone. The twenty men were all dead. Sakura was lying on the floor but she was obviously still breathing, and all of their teammates were still alive. They had obviously won.

So what was going on?

"Did any of you touch anything?" Kisame roared over the loud noise.

Deidara frantically shook his head. "The alarm suddenly sounded out of nowhere. We have to hurry up and do something, Sakura-chan has been poisoned by the zirconium! If we don't bring her to Shino soon, she'll..." His voice trailed off as he cast his blue eyes down to the floor.

"_Self-destruction sequence has been activated. Will commence in five minutes." _

They all snapped up as the sound of the monotonous and robotic pre-recorded voice blared over their heads.

Sasuke and Sasori immediately exchanged a knowing look.

"_Kabuto_."

Naruto's eyes widened as realization dawned over him. "B-but-" he started to splutter. "We spared him! Why would he turn against us like that..."

"You're too naive, kid." Kisame muttered with a grim look on his face. "You should have killed him on the spot- it was obvious that he was going to turn against us the moment you let him escape."

"That's what I said!" Deidara snarled, shooting a nasty look at Naruto as if to prove a point. "Good job, now we're all going to die here."

"We shouldn't give up yet." Itachi said calmly, as his ruby red eyes swept across the room. "We still have five minutes to get out of here- we can't waste any more time. Kisame, carry Sakura on your back. The rest of you, try to keep up even if you're injured."

"_Four minutes left."_

Before anyone could answer him, he immediately started to head back towards the stairs, heading downstairs this time. No one objected- Kisame gently picked up the pink haired girl in his arms while Deidara, Sasori and Tobi quickly followed him. Neji and Kiba each supported Naruto and Sasuke as they followed last.

The group quickly reached the lobby once again- but all openings were still blocked by steel bars.

"Shit." Kiba cursed, looking anxious. "What do we do now?"

"_Three minutes left." _

"Are we really going to die here?" Naruto whispered_._

No one answered him.

_._

_._

* * *

_._

_._

_I'm not going home alone,_

_'Cause I don't do too well on my own._

_._

_._


	17. what's it feel like to be a ghost?

**.**

**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED**

**stfuSPARKS**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the song 'What's It Feel Like to be a Ghost' by Taking Back Sunday :)._

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**XVII.**

**What's It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?**

_"And then you said _

_A little more about your dreams,_

_Like it was my call,_

_If you would only listen."_

_._

_._

_._

The transmitter in their ears weakly crackled to life.

"Shino!" Naruto cried, sounding hopeful. "Can you hear me? Oh god, you've got to help us man, we're all gonna-"

"We don't have time to explain!" Itachi's calm composure slightly cracked for the first time as his harsh tone interrupted Naruto's babbling. "Someone has activated the self-destruction device in this entire building, and all the exits are blocked. Everything is going to blow up in less than three minutes- is there something you can do?"

There was a terrifying silence on the other end.

"_It's impossible for me to do anything in three minutes. I can try... but it's just not possible." _Shino's voice was a mixture of many emotions- frustration, sadness, regret... he was apologizing to them.

Sasuke felt the tension leave his shoulders, watching as everyone's faces slightly fell.

So this was it.

This was the end.

It was as if Kisame had immediately understood. He walked over towards the younger Uchiha and gently handed him the pink haired girl. Sasuke momentarily marveled at how light she was, before looking up at the blue-skinned man. He wanted to thank him, but the words just wouldn't come out- so he settled for a curt nod.

"_Two minutes left." _

"There has to be a way out." Deidara argued, starting to panic. "That Kabuto guy wouldn't kill himself along with us, right? He probably left the building after activating this whole self-destruction thing! We have to look for that escape route! And what about that other Gaara guy? How did he get in and out in the first place? There's something we're definitely overlooking!"

Sasori shook his head. "You're not using your logic to think Deidara." He said solemnly, his hollow brown eyes never leaving his partner. "Kabuto was not merely Orochimaru's servant- he _lived _for the man. His life no longer has a purpose now that his master is dead- he's probably hidden somewhere in this building, ready to end his life right here with us. And as for Gaara- he probably followed us when we first came. How else would he know where we were? And I wouldn't be surprised if he was still in this building as well- he no longer has a purpose either, now that the only person he has ever loved is gone."

Deidara was speechless.

Neji quietly turned towards his remaining teammates, with an unreadable look in his crystal clear eyes. "I'm glad that you were my teammates." He finally murmured, as he stood tall in front of them. "I'm sorry that I couldn't do better as a team leader."

And that's when they understood-

It was time for their goodbyes now.

Kiba slumped against the wall, giving him a tired grin in response. "Well, I guess I can't complain either." He affirmed, closing his eyes as he leaned his head back. "You guys were pretty damn cool. I just wish we could have met in another time and another place- we could have had an awesome life."

Naruto let out a broken laugh, throwing his head back as he did so. "It was about time you admitted it, dog-boy." His blue eyes saddened. "But you're right. We made a pretty awesome team, right Sasuke-teme?" He turned towards his best friend.

Sasuke blankly stared at the girl in his arms. He had never wasted his time with trivial things such as love or relationships- he had always deemed them as forms of weaknesses of the human life. His genetics had permitted him to be the center of affection for many females, but he had never considered any of them. Even the most beautiful of women who had thrown themselves at his feet had never even received a general thought from the stoic man.

So what was it about this pink haired girl that had caught his attention?

Sakura was definitely attractive, but he had seen his fair share of much more beautiful women in his life. Her body was fairly fit, but she was a little too skinny to be considered 'perfect'. Her chest area was slightly lacking and her height was much too short, her pink hair a little too tacky and green eyes much too bright- _so what was it? _

He knew that he could tell himself excuse after excuse for why she wasn't perfect, but deep inside he knew- she _was_ perfect to him.

He loved that her legs weren't long enough to let her catch up with him when they walked side by side. He loved that she wasn't graceful most of the time- she had a tendency to stumble into things no matter where she was. He loved her tacky pink hair, because even if it was tacky it reminded him of her warmth. He loved her big apple green eyes which seemed to read into him even when he didn't want her to- she could always see his silent pleas for help.

He was in love with her.

Uchiha Sasuke was in love with Haruno Sakura.

When had it happened? Even when their lips had met for the first time a couple of days ago, they had still been unsure about their feelings towards each other. He could feel that she was extremely important to him- but was it really love? He hadn't been sure at the time.

Maybe it had happened long before either of them had fully even realized it. Maybe it had happened when striking green had first met charcoal black in the confined walls of a high school classroom, or maybe it had been when two lonely people had met on a lone autumn night, sharing secrets in front of locked gates.

Maybe.

Probably.

Definitely.

His arms tightened around her as he buried his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of fresh blood, faint perfume and a little bit of spring.

"_One minute left." _

He finally spoke. "Aa." he murmured in quiet, composed voice, finally answering the blonde's question. "We made a great team."

Naruto's face slowly split into a sad grin. "Believe it!" He exclaimed, looking up into the ceiling so that his tears wouldn't spill over. '_Real men don't cry,' _he faintly thought to himself, before turning away so that no one could see him.

Deidara cast his pale blue eyes at the floor as he avoided looking at both Sasori and Kisame. "I'm not going to apologize, y'know." he grumbled, looking intently at his shoes. "I'm not going to apologize for bringing Sakura-chan in two years ago, even if it _is_ the cause of all our deaths."

Kisame rolled his eyes. "No one's blaming you for anything Blondie." he grunted, slamming a hand onto Deidara's back. "In fact, I don't think any of us are regretting it right now. The Akatsuki will be fine without us- it's about time we took some time off, right?"

"Kisame-san is right!" Tobi exclaimed, sounding like his usual self despite the situation they were in. "We all love Sakura-chan! We would do anything for her!"

Sasori gave him a rare smile- it was small, but it was still there. "You're quite annoying most of the time, but you make a decent partner."

Their attention was immediately shifted when they saw the eldest Uchiha get up to his feet. He slowly walked over to his younger brother- but Sasuke didn't have the strength to hate him anymore, not now.

"_Thirty seconds left." _

"Little brother."

His tone was quiet and monotonous, but to Sasuke it was louder than the siren wailing over their heads.

"I wish I had the time to explain everything to you." Itachi continued, his face carefully blank. "I didn't think that things would end so abruptly between us. I had always hoped to explain myself to you one day when you'd be old enough to understand... but I guess I ran out of time. All I can say to you now is that the events from seven years ago are not what they seem." He paused. "I never hated you, Sasuke. There was a valid reason behind every action I took."

Sasuke didn't have the time to contemplate over his brother's cryptic words. He was tired now- his head was spinning, and he just wanted to close his eyes and rest now.

_"Ten second countdown will commence." _

_"Ten." _

Naruto stood by Sasuke's side, trying his best to stop his tears from finally spilling over.

_I will remain strong until the end. _

_"Nine." _

Kisame calmly took a seat on an empty office chair, closing his eyes.

_I guess it's finally over now._

_"Eight." _

Deidara shot one last look at the fragile pink haired girl in the raven haired man's arms, briefly remembering the broken girl he had found in the rain two years ago.

_I'm sorry I couldn't be the one to protect you. _

"_Seven." _

Sasori stood unmoving against the wall, as his hollow eyes merely stared at the scene unfolding right before his eyes.

_We were never meant to last forever._

"_Six." _

Tobi's face was unreadable behind his mask, but he was noticeably quiet as he simply stood with his hands at his sides.

_Tobi did well, right? _

"_Five." _

Kiba unconsciously brought a hand to touch the markings on his cheeks.

_Forgive me. I should have returned when I could have._

"_Four." _

Neji finally untied the bandages around his forehead, his prideful white eyes never lowering.

_You always said I would be incapable of greatness. You were wrong. _

_"Three." _

Itachi quietly looked at his only family for the last time.

_I never hated you. _

"_Two." _

Sasuke finally shut his eyes, holding the only girl he ever loved close to his own body as he waited for the end to come.

_Together until the end. _

"_One." _

Sakura's eyes flew open.

_I will save you. _

The last thing Sasuke saw was a blinding white light and her beautiful green eyes, before the darkness claimed them all.

_'You look better when your eyes are green.'_

_._

_._

* * *

_._

_._

_"One." _

Shikamaru's blood instantly ran cold as soon as the connection was cut off. He slowly took off his ear piece and stared at the small device in his hand, before looking back up at Shino. The other man's face was unreadable behind his dark sunglasses, but the atmosphere in the air clearly indicated that he wasn't doing too good either.

"What..." The words immediately died in his throat. He couldn't think of anything that would be appropriate to say in a situation like this one.

Shikamaru was still in shock. He had just listened to the last seconds of his teammates' lives- he couldn't see how he would ever be okay after today. The people that he had grown close to for the past couple of years were gone now. Where would we go from here? What would he do now?

A million different thoughts passed through the genius' head, but he didn't voice any of them. For the first time in years, Shikamaru felt helpless.

"They can't have died." Shikamaru finally found the courage to speak. "They're tougher than that. They probably found a way out last minute, and escaped just in time. I've been working with them for years now, they're all too stubborn to die so easily..." He was babbling now, something that was extremely out of character for someone like him. It was as if the whole set of events that had just taken place had jarred his mind.

Shino was silent for a moment. "Itachi said that it was a self-destruction device for the entire building." he finally spoke up, sounding monotonously thoughtful. "Sound Corp is in no way small- if it was a bomb big enough to destroy the whole thing, then it must've been extremely powerful. I have no doubts that Orochimaru would invest a lot of money in making sure that the explosion would eliminate every single thing. There's no way they could have survived something as powerful as that."

Shikamaru felt his heart sink with every single word the other man spoke. "But-"

"No." Shino interrupted him, shaking his head. "An explosion of that caliber would probably be too strong for even Sakura's barrier to handle. I'm telling you, the chances of their survival are less than 1%."

"Well I'm sorry if I want to believe that my teammates are still alive!" Shikamaru's temper flared up at Shino's lack of emotions. "I realize that maybe to you, these people were nothing more than temporary allies, but my _friends _were in that explosion. Maybe I just want to hang onto the hope that they're still okay."

"I'm trying to be realistic." Shino seemed unaffected by Shikamaru's sudden outburst. "I'm not trying to bring you down, yet at the same time I will not sit here and simply listen to you hope for something that isn't possible. It'll just bring your hopes up, and you'll only end up being even more crushed in the end."

Shikamaru wanted to answer back, but he knew that Shino was right in the end. He wasn't called a genius for nothing- the moment their connection had died, his mind had immediately deduced that they were dead. He had probably figured it out even before Shino had- but he was in a state of denial right now.

"I don't mean to sound insensible, but we must go there as soon as possible." Shino spoke up again. "An explosion of the sort will not be ignored for much longer; the police will probably be all over the scene in less than an hour. We have to get to there and get rid of any evidence that could lead them back to us."

Shikamaru didn't want to do it. He didn't want to look through the ruins for traces of his now ex-teammates. Maybe spending too much time with Naruto had affected his way of thinking as all- he was starting to get too emotional.

He grabbed his coat and immediately exited the house before Shino even had to tell him to do so.

It was just another day, with more bodies to bury.

At least that was what Shikamaru tried to desperately tell himself.

_._

_._

* * *

_._

_._

_Contrary to popular belief, Neji was not the original founder of the 'Shinobi'. _

_There was no doubt that he was their leader- yet he had not been there since the very beginning. _

_As unbelievable as it sounded, the 'Shinobi' had been a creation of Inuzuka Kiba with the aid of his best friend Shikamaru when they were both at the mere age of fifteen. The reason why the canine boy had decided to abandon his family and the genius had decided to follow him remained a mystery. Both led relatively decent lives- they were both heirs to the head positions of extremely prominent families. From what the public could see, there was absolutely nothing wrong with their lives-_

_Which was why everyone was left speechless when they both decided to run away. _

_The matter was tried to be kept secret, but something like that was impossible to do when it had to do with the Inuzuka and Nara clans._

_No one knew why- and they doubted they ever would. Kiba and Shikamaru were never too keen on sharing their past with anyone, but that was the same for all seven of the members. Not even the friendly Naruto ever bothered to talk about his past. When Lee had once hesitantly asked about his family, the blond boy had frozen up and his face had morphed into someone that none of them had recognized. _

_But there were inevitable hints that none of them could ignore, like the slight tension that found its way to Kiba's shoulders when the news that his sister had replaced him, becoming the first female head of the Inuzuka clan in their entire history, reached his ears. Or the way Neji's eyes ever so slightly narrowed when Naruto first found out about the Hyuuga Main House and Branch House system. _

_The Uchiha Massacre, being one of the biggest tragedies of their times, was impossible to ignore. It made headlines all over the country, on every source of media that there was. The Uchiha clan was one of the most prominent families of the Fire Country, along with the Hyuuga, Nara and Inuzuka clans. When news broke out that the eldest had killed off every single family member save for his little brother, the public was stunned._

_Uchiha Itachi had been considered the child prodigy of their generation. He was everything that a family looked for in an ideal heir- countless awards decorated his room, proof of his outstanding intelligence and strength. He had graduated high school at the mere age of twelve, entering Konoha University at the age of thirteen. He was the perfect gentleman; his manners were impeccable and he was charming. He was the perfect son and the ideal older brother. _

_Not many people knew that he had a little brother. Sasuke had always been obscured by his older brother's shadow. He was never the best at anything- he was moderately intelligent and moderately strong. Compared to Itachi though, he was nothing at all. _

_People finally discovered Sasuke after the massacre. He became known as the survivor- the boy who had lost everything in a single night. The boy who had been inexplicably spared for reasons unknown._

_The most common rumor was that Itachi had gone insane- it was the only logical reason they could come up with. Why else would a prodigy like him kill off all of his family in cold blood? _

_Sasuke was only thirteen years old when it happened._

_Right after the series of events, Itachi joined the Akatsuki. Joining one of the most infamous illegal organizations in the entire country provided him with the sufficient amount of protection that he needed. It was a known fact that all members of the Akatsuki were protected from the law; the only plausible explanation was that their leader was somehow involved. No one knew the identity of the leader of the Akatsuki, but many speculated that he was someone who held an extremely important position in the country. Some even went as far as to say that he was the president of the Fire Country. _

_In any case, Itachi easily escaped his punishment. He carried on living a (somewhat) normal life without being pursued by the law, and if anyone thought that it was an injustice, no one dared to say so. _

_On the other hand, no one knew what happened to Sasuke. He had definitely survived the massacre- yet despite the fact that he was now the rightful heir to the Uchiha compound, he never returned to his home again. He completely disappeared from the face of the earth- many people thought that Itachi had finished what he had started, while others thought that Sasuke was still alive somewhere. _

_Neji had recognized him from the very first moment he had been dragged in through the front door to their modest headquarters by an over-enthusiastic Naruto on a rainy day._

_The last public sighting of Sasuke had been when he was thirteen years old. The person who stood in the middle of their living room was a seventeen year old grown man now, no longer a scared little boy, but his physical features were unmistakable. The Hyuugas and the Uchihas had always been rivals- it was hard for Neji not to recognize Sasuke. _

_All Uchihas had the same pale features- high cheekbones and thin jaws. All of them were gifted with extremely good looks, characterized by silky raven hair and hollow onyx eyes. Sasuke was no exception when it came to that rule. _

_But Sasuke was no longer the thirteen year old that the public had known. He was now only the ghost of that boy, forever haunted by his past. His eyes were almost empty, only fueled with the hatred and the loss that he kept bottled up inside of him for years now._

_Naruto looked short standing next to him. They were both bruised and battered, but the blond was sporting a large grin on his face as he introduced his new so-called friend as Sasuke. He assured them that he was indeed extremely strong, and that he was worthy of joining their little group._

_Kiba had raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Who died and made _you_ boss?" he accusingly asked, rolling his eyes. "Last time I checked, we don't go out recruiting for new members on a daily basis. Actually, we're not looking for any new members at all- I think we're fine the way we are." _

_Shikamaru shook his head, looking slightly exasperated as Naruto's face fell. "Just ignore him, he just doesn't like the idea of strangers joining our little family." he explained. "How troublesome. What do you think Neji?" _

_Everyone expectantly turned towards Neji, waiting for their 'leader' to make his decision. _

_"I know who you are," Neji finally spoke up calmly, speaking directly to the newcomer. "You've been gone for quite some time. Many people thought you were dead." _

_"Eh?" Naruto spoke up, looking slightly confused. "You know him, Neji?" _

_The white eyed boy shook his head. "Not personally, but I guess that in a way I do." He turned towards the quiet raven haired boy again. "Unlike Kiba, I have nothing against having new people join. However, the real issue I have is whether you're trustworthy or not. If you dare touch a hair on any of my teammates, I will not hesitate to kill you on the spot." _

_Sasuke finally grunted. "Hn," he said, his face blank. "I didn't ask to join. This dobe here dragged me off without even telling me where we were going." _

_"Naruto, you idiot! You can't just drag anyone to our headquarters! Are you _trying _to get us killed?" Kiba barked out, looking furious. "I swear, you're going to be the death of us one day!" _

_Naruto looked slightly guilty as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I know, I know! But I promise I have a good feeling about him, Kiba. Something about him just tells me that he's going to become an extremely important part of our team." _

_Kiba shook his head. "You!" he barked, turning back to the stranger, who looked unfazed by it all. "What's your name?"_

_Finally, he showed the least bit of emotion as a small smirk spread on his face. "It seems like your captain already knows of my identity. Why don't you ask him instead?" His gaze carefully shifted over to the white eyed boy again. "Am I right, Hyuuga Neji?" _

_Kiba disappeared right before their eyes. His movements were a blur, and before any of them had a chance to react, he was standing behind the raven haired boy, holding up a knife to his neck. "Who are you?" he growled in a threatening tone. "How do you know Neji's full name? Who sent you?" _

_No one even saw Sasuke move. The next thing they knew, Kiba's knife clattered to the floor when a gun was pointed straight at the canine boy's temple. _

_"No one sent me." Sasuke muttered icily, his onyx eyes betraying no emotions at all. "I am simply here because this blond idiot decided to drag me here. I am aware of Hyuuga Neji's identity for the same reason that he is aware of mine. I don't have time to waste with weaklings like you, so you better keep your mouth shut." _

_"Drop it Kiba." Neji finally said, when the brunette opened his mouth to retort something nasty. "The only reason he knows my name is because he's Uchiha Sasuke." _

_Kiba's eyes widened as his insults died in his throat. "Uchiha... Sasuke?" he repeated, looking stunned. Shikamaru did not look surprised at all. "But they declared him to be dead!" _

_Neji shook his head. "Just like they said that you ran away from home because you were mentally disturbed." _

_Kiba abruptly shut his mouth. _

_"You're welcome to join us, Uchiha." Neji calmly continued, looking highly unaffected. "I have a hint of why you've finally decided to show your face again, but I won't sit here and ask you if it's right. Whatever your purpose is, it doesn't matter to me as long as you don't get in our way."_

_Sasuke nodded. "Your little organization has been getting quite the attention recently. My only purpose is to get stronger, that is all. I will not harm any of your teammates as long as they don't get in my way." _

_Naruto's ears perked up at his statement. "And then what? What are you going to do when you get stronger?" _

_Sasuke's eyes grew cold. "There is someone I must kill." _

_Naruto knew better than to press matters further. He nodded, motioning for him to follow. "Well then, if you follow me, I'll show you to one of our empty rooms. You can stay there from now on." _

_The two boys disappeared down the hallway. There was a moment of silence as Shikamaru and Neji exchanged a knowing look. _

_"Did you see that?" Kiba finally spoke up quietly, looking disturbed. _

_Shikamaru nodded._

_"That look in his eyes... he's no longer human. Just like the rest of us." _

_Time quickly passed, and they quickly got used to being a team all together. Lee and Gaara both joined later on under their own strange circumstances, as the boys learned to work together as a team._

_The fact that Sasuke never seemed to fully open up to them did not escape Neji. The only person that he ever connected with was Naruto- the two seemed to develop a strange, hostile kind of friendship that only they could understand. _

_It amused Neji that it had been like that since the very beginning. Even when they had been strangers, Sasuke had been drawn to Naruto for reasons that were unknown to the rest of them._

_But Neji was no fool, and he was not considered to be their captain for nothing. His eyes had a way of catching the smallest kinds of details that no one else could see, whether they were physical or mental. _

_From the first time Sasuke's eyes had landed on the pink haired girl, Neji had known. Perhaps he had known even before Sasuke or Sakura both did- there was something extremely strong that connected them._

_Nothing else could compare to the softness in his eyes when he looked at her. _

_Now, as Neji sat on the brink of death, he saw emotions in these people that he had never seen before. He saw Kiba and Shikamaru show the compassion that they had kept hidden for so long deep inside of them. He saw the Akatsuki members look at each other with a strong emotional response that no one would have ever expected out of them. He saw the feared Uchiha Itachi look down at his brother with what could only be called as sibling love. He saw Naruto and Sasuke hold onto the girl they both loved. _

_Neji could only briefly wonder if his eyes reflected the same, before it all went dark. _

_._

_._

* * *

_._

_._

When Sasuke opened his eyes again, it was all white.

It was almost over now.

_._

_._

* * *

_._

_._

_So what's it feel like to be a ghost? _

_._

_._


	18. awake

**.**

**THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED**

**stfuSPARKS**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters- and I don't own the song or lyrics 'Awake' by Secondhand Serenade either :). _

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_._

_._

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**XVIII.**

**Awake**

"_And you're lying real still_

_But your heartbeat is fast _

_Just like mine._"

.

.

.

There was a blinding white light, and then-

Nothing.

Sasuke kept his eyes shut, bracing himself for the explosion to hit him. When it didn't come, the first thought that raced through his mind was- had it really been that fast? He had expected his death to be quick, but this was simply ridiculous.

Was he in heaven? He had never been a big believer when it came to the afterworld, but he could still feel the weight of Sakura's limp body in his arms. At least it meant that they were still together. It didn't really make sense though- it wasn't as if either of them had been saints during their lifetime.

"Huh? What happened?"

No, this was definitely not heaven, Sasuke decided. He clearly heard Naruto's voice interrupt the silence- anything that indicated an eternal afterlife with that idiot couldn't possibly considered heaven. Maybe this was purgatory. Sasuke slowly cracked an eye to see his brother, looking curiously at their surroundings.

This was definitely hell. Naruto _and _Itachi were here. But that didn't make sense either- it couldn't be hell if Sakura was there with him.

It took him a moment to realize the truth.

_They were still alive._

Everyone else looked just as shocked as he was. He was startled to see that they were no longer standing inside the lobby of Sound Corporation- because there _wasn't _a Sound Corporation anymore to begin with. The entire building had collapsed, reduced to a pile of rubble and dust. The sky above them was exposed as Sasuke realized that the building had indeed gone through the self-destruction process- but it still didn't explain why they were alive.

"It's her." Neji whispered, breaking the silence once again. His sharp eyes were fixated above them, onto something that none of them could see. "It's stretched out so thin that it's almost invisible, but it's still there. The red barrier." he carefully explained, and suddenly his gaze snapped towards the pink haired girl in Sasuke's arms. "It _has _to be her."

They all stood in silence for a second as everyone's eyes turned towards Sakura.

"She's still breathing." Sasuke murmured, feeling the relief wash over his body at the way her chest rose up and back down with every breath she took. His grip on her slightly tightened as he looked around to see that their area had been untouched by the destructive force of the explosion.

Naruto broke into a run, but was shoved aside by Deidara who frantically scrambled to his feet and reached her side with lightning speed. The look in his icy blue eyes could be described as nothing else but pure panic as his sweaty hands found her frail ones.

"Sakura-chan," Deidara shakily whispered, slightly pulling her away from the younger Uchiha. "Sakura-chan, you did it- we're all alive, thanks to you. You can stop now... we're all safe." He choked on his own words before continuing. "You have to stop it! If you keep on abusing your power like that, you'll..."

His voice trailed away.

"She'll what?" Naruto barked, looking alarmed. "Why are you talking like she'll die?"

Deidara cast him an incredulous look. "Are you stupid?" he asked in disbelief. "Sakura-chan's powers are strong, but she's not invincible! Don't you see how weak she is right now? Even for her, creating a barrier to protect us from that kind of explosion is almost impossible! Plus she made sure to cover every single one of us... I'm almost positive that it took a huge toll on her body! If she keeps this barrier activated, the strain will kill her!"

Sasuke's eyes widened as his sudden statement.

She couldn't die, not now.

Not when they had gone through all of that trouble to bring down Sound Corporation.

He pulled her away from Deidara and held her close to his face, so that his lips were barely brushing her earlobe.

"Don't leave me now." he whispered in a broken voice. "You can't do this to me, Sakura."

Nothing changed. She didn't even stir in his arms as the seconds ticked by, with everyone's eyes on her petite little body. Sasuke was about to finally give up, when Neji finally spoke up again.

"It's disappearing." The white eyed boy murmured with a look of pure awe on his face. "The barrier- it's disappearing."

Sasuke felt something akin to hope swell up in his chest as he pulled back to look at Sakura. A pained gasp escaped her lips before her eyes snapped open and one of her hands shot up to snatch his shirt. She took a couple of deep breaths before her bewildered eyes settled on his face.

Her eyes were green.

"Sa... Sasuke..." she gasped out, as a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. Her grip on him slightly loosened as she found comfort in his bottomless black eyes. "I..."

"Don't talk." Sasuke interrupted her, gently putting a hand over her mouth. "You'll need that energy to recover. We need to get you back to Shino so that he can find a way to extract the zirconium from your body."

She frantically shook her head, her green eyes panicking. "I don't have enough time, Sasuke." she breathed out, reaching for one of his hands.

"What are you talking about?" he almost snarled, looking furious. "Don't be stupid Sakura, now isn't the right time."

She looked like she was about to say something when another set of coughs racked her body. Sasuke started to get back up onto his feet, when Itachi stopped him by setting a hand onto his shoulder. The younger Uchiha almost snapped at the contact, but tried to reel in his anger for the sake of the pink haired girl in his arms..

"She's right otouto. Time has run out already." Itachi's voice was a mere murmur, but it made everyone shudder all the same.

"What do you mean she ran out of time?" Naruto asked fearfully.

Itachi's cold red eyes briefly flickered over towards the blond for a moment. "Look at her injuries," he finally said with a sigh. "It's impossible for her to recover from those injuries. The zirconium has been in her bloodstream for too long, and she's lost too much blood from the bullet she took to the shoulder. She used too much of her powers to protect us from that explosion- even if we somehow miraculously managed to get the zirconium out, I don't see how she would have enough power to heal herself."

Sasuke's eyes snapped back towards Sakura. "Is this true?" he asked in a low voice, his face eerily blank. He emitted a deep growl when she bit her lip and turned away from him. "Sakura..." he warningly said, as his eyes narrowed.

"You don't have to take me to Shino." she finally looked up into his charcoal black orbs. "I just want to say goodbye before..."

"No you don't!" Sasuke finally snapped, as anger flooded his handsome features. "Don't you even dare say anything of the sort, Sakura. You are _not _going to say goodbye to _anyone _because you're not going anywhere. You're staying right here with me- I'm tired of you always accepting death so easily! You should value your life more! Stop being so goddamn selfish- when will you finally realize that the people around you will suffer if you die?"

His words rendered her speechless for a second, as her eyes slightly widened. Sasuke had never told her about his past, but there was an immense amount of unvoiced loss that always surrounded him whenever he was alone. Something about him told her that he had experienced the death of someone close to him before, which made him reluctant to get close to people in the first place.

He was right. She had always risked her life as it was nothing, never thinking about the consequences. Even two years ago, when Deidara had saved her from her suicide attempt, she hadn't been necessarily thinking about anyone else. Deidara, who had been nothing but a stranger to her at the time, had even jumped into the water to save her- and all she had done was get angry at him for doing so.

Barely more than a week ago, when she had almost died- at the time, she thought that she was helping Sasuke and the others. She figured that by dying, she would be relieving them of a burden. She hadn't bothered to think of what Sasuke would actually _think- _maybe that was what Lee and Idate had tried to tell her when she had been drifting in the lines between life and death.

"Sakura, how would you feel if _I_ was the one who died?" he quietly asked her.

That's when it hit her.

A feeling of immeasurable fear overcame her entire body as she imagined Sasuke dying for a mere fraction of a second. It was only a thought in her head, but the overall notion of him dying and leaving her behind left her absolutely speechless.

This was different from Idate's death. She had definitely been devastated at the time- but she felt like she could still go on with her life. He had been an extremely important figure in her life, so the feeling of emptiness that came with his death was still there- but despite all the mourning and all the tears, it had been a wound that she knew would eventually close.

However, the thought of Sasuke dying made her knees weak and her head blank. She felt like if he died, she would never be able to fully recover from the misery that his loss would bring her.

He was important to her now. So important that her life would no longer have meaning if he disappeared from it.

"I'd want to die as well," she whispered, looking slightly ashamed.

His face immediately softened at her words. "And what makes you think that I'd be any different?" he told her almost gently. "What makes you think that I would be able to live without you?"

She didn't have an answer for him.

"But it's too late." she choked out with a pained expression. "I'm not going to survive these wounds. Deep down, you know it too, Sasuke."

He didn't want to admit it, not in a million years- but he knew she was right. Itachi's words had been true.

"She's running out of time, and fast." Itachi quietly told him.

Her emerald green eyes briefly flickered towards Deidara, who was standing over Sasuke with a heartbroken face. "Deidara..." she whispered, reaching her free hand towards him. This time, Sasuke didn't move to stop her. "Thank you for believing in me when no one else did. I wouldn't be here today without you."

Deidara choked out a laugh, turning his face away from her. "Stop talking like you're leaving forever, stupid. We'll get you patched up in no time and you'll be fine by tomorrow morning. If you're good, I'll even take you out to your favorite sushi restaurant downtown." She couldn't see his face from her position, but she briefly saw him wipe something off his face with his sleeve.

"Yeah..." A sad smile graced her lips. ""You better. You know how much I love that place."

Her breaths were reduced to short pants now, as she shivered in Sasuke's arms.

"Sasuke..." She looked back at him, capturing his full attention. "We'll meet again one day... right?"

Sasuke managed to give her a small smirk through his pain. "What are you talking about? You must be delirious. Didn't you hear what Deidara said back there? You'll be fine by tomorrow morning. Stop being such a pessimist. If you get better soon, I promise to take you to that favorite restaurant of yours every day for a month." His free hand barely ghosted over her bloodstained cheek. "You can rest now."

She smiled one last time.

And stopped breathing.

Sasuke couldn't stop himself this time- he finally let the tears fall.

.

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* * *

.

.

"Sasuke!"

Naruto's cry went unheard as an inexplicable rage overcame the Uchiha's body. Sakura's limp body slipped through his arms and roughly dropped onto the ground as he abruptly stood up, clutching his head. A pained scream escaped his lips as his onyx eyes melted into a familiar shade of red for the second time in his life.

"This again?" Deidara asked in disbelief as Sasori immediately pulled him backwards from the imminent danger. They could all only stare in horror as the ugly black markings spread through the entire right side of his body.

"Sasuke-teme, you have to control it!" Naruto shouted, taking a few steps forwards before Kiba immediately grabbed him by the wrist. The blond struggled against his strong grip before whirling around to glare at his friend. "Let go of me Kiba!"

Kiba's sharp eyes narrowed. "Are you trying to get yourself killed Naruto?" he snorted, struggling again the blonde's immense strength. "You may not remember because you weren't in your right mind either, but the last time this happened, Sasuke wasn't exactly too eager to have a conversation with us!"

"So are you saying that we should just let him be?" Naruto asked, his jaw dropping open.

The brunette in front of him shook his head. "What I'm trying to say is that there's nothing we can do for the guy right now. Sakura gave her life to protect us from the explosion, so don't be all rash by putting your life at risk so easily!"

Naruto's blue eyes immediately flashed at hearing the pink haired girl's name. "That's why I have to do this. Sakura-chan would never be able to forgive herself if she knew that Sasuke became like this because of her." His azure eyes looked directly into Kiba's, lacking their usual sparkle. "I'm not going to lose Sasuke-teme now, not after everything we've been through."

Kiba loosened his grip without even realizing it. Naruto shot him one last sad grateful smile before whirling around to run towards his friend.

"Is he crazy?" Kisame sharply asked, making sure to take a couple of steps backwards. Even the huge blue-skinned man couldn't help but feel intimidated by the huge amount of power that was flowing out of the raven haired boy. "He's going to get himself killed!"

The Hyuuga shook his head, his white eyes never leaving Naruto. "No," he slowly said. "Naruto is the only one who can stop Sasuke now. I believe in him."

Deidara shook his head in disbelief once again. "_You _may believe in him but I sure as hell don't."

They could only watch as the blond finally reached his best friend.

Sasuke's cruel gaze immediately snapped towards him. Naruto couldn't help but shiver at the sheer force behind that stare- he never would have thought that it would be possible, but the power that was emanating from Sasuke's body far surpassed Sakura's. The markings were spreading even further, almost reaching the left side of his body now.

"Teme, you have to stop this." Naruto muttered, placing a hand onto his friend's shoulder. His sky blue eyes never wavered as they stared straight into Sasuke's strange and unique eyes. They were different from Sakura's red eyes- while hers were a shade of bright red, Sasuke's eyes were a darker shade of crimson. Another abnormality that set them apart was the fact that his eyes had three distinct black markings that almost looked like commas.

Sasori's observant eyes did not miss this. "His eyes are different," he stated, never taking his eyes off of the enraged man. "I didn't get the chance to see them up close last time, but now that I'm safely standing at a distance I can tell that his eyes are in no way similar to Sakura's. His eyes are an entire different shade of red... almost similar to Itachi's." With these words, he glanced at the older Uchiha who wasn't standing too far.

Deidara squinted. "He's right!" he exclaimed when he realized his partner's words were true. "They're the same as Itachi's, except his doesn't have those weird black markings around the pupils."

Everyone turned towards the said man for some sort of explanation.

"The Sharingan." Itachi murmured. "That's what it's called."

"How would you know what it's called?" Kisame asked sharply. "Itachi, there's something you're obviously not telling us."

"It's the Uchiha clan's most protected secret." He answered, never taking his eyes off of his little brother. "Once every fifty years, the first born child of the head of the clan will be born with mysterious powers that we have named the 'Sharingan' over time."

Neji looked at him with a questioning glance. "You just said that it's usually the first born child who is born with these powers. If that were to be true, then that would make _you _the owner of the Sharingan, not Sasuke. Sasuke is clearly the second son, he shouldn't have these powers."

"Perceptive as always, Hyuuga." Itachi said with a nod. "I was indeed supposed to receive the Sharingan, but as you can see, something obviously went wrong. The Sharingan is usually activated later in the years, just like Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto's powers were activated only recently."

"But your eyes were red to begin with." Deidara pointed out, finally catching on. "You're considered to be one of the strongest members of the Akatsuki, but you've never displayed any sort of abnormal powers. What does that mean?"

"You could compare me to a factory defect." Itachi slowly said. "I was supposed to be born with those powers, but something went wrong. I was born with these eyes but was never able to display any of the powers. The rest of my family thought that it was because my powers were too extreme, but when I reached eighteen and my powers still hadn't activated, they knew that it was Sasuke."

There was a tense silence. There was an unvoiced question that ran through all of their heads.

_Did all of this have to do with the infamous Uchiha Massacre?_

It was as if Itachi had read their minds. "They were going to kill him," he said in quiet voice. "I did what I had to do to protect him."

They all stayed silent- they were all curious of _why _the Uchiha clan had been planning on killing Sasuke, but they knew better than to press the matters further with the elder Uchiha. The finality in Itachi's voice made it clear that this conversation was over.

"Well how do we stop it?" Kiba adamantly asked, looking back towards the blond. "If we don't do something soon, Naruto's going to be killed and I doubt that your little brother will come out of this unscathed."

The power that was coming from Sasuke was increasing with every minute that passed. Even Naruto was trying to hang on under the sheer pressure of his force, but he was having a hard time as Sasuke shook with anger.

"This is entirely up to them now," the taller raven haired man murmured. "They don't know it right now, but Sasuke and Naruto both have the power to help Sakura."

Deidara was at his throat within seconds. The long haired blond hissed through his teeth as he grabbed Itachi by the collar, staring straight into his red eyes. "Listen you bastard, I don't know what you're trying to get at but it's not funny. Sakura-chan is _dead- _nothing they can do can fix that now." His eyes narrowed threateningly. "I know that you're an emotionless prick, but that doesn't mean the rest of us are unaffected."

Itachi looked unaffected by Deidara's furious outburst. "I will admit that I am not as affected by all of this as you are, but do you really think that I am the person to crack jokes at a time like this?"

Sasori set a hand on Deidara's shoulder as the blond loosened his grip on Itachi's collar. "He's right," the redhead murmured, nodding his head. "Why don't we try to listen to what he has to say? He has no reason to lie to us about something like that."

"I don't have to explain myself to you." Itachi never broke eye contact with him. "Nothing you can do right now can help. It is entirely up to them now."

Deidara let go of Itachi to glance back at the two younger men who were confronting each other at a distance.

Sasuke's shaking had ceased. Pure anger emanated from his body as he glared right into Naruto's blue eyes.

"It's all up to them now." Itachi repeated, in a lower voice.

Deidara just hoped that they would make the right decision.

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* * *

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.

"Sasuke-teme, you have to snap out of this!" Naruto almost shouted desperately, trying not to give in under Sasuke's immense power. The aura around the Uchiha was so heavy that any other normal person would have given in.

Sasuke let out an animalistic growl, as his red eyes darted around to look at his surroundings. Naruto's grip on his shoulder tightened as he felt Sasuke's control over himself slip with every second that passed. "Teme..." he muttered again, wincing. "Do you really think that this is what Sakura-chan would want? Do you think she'd be happy if she knew that she was the cause of this?"

The sound of her name seemed to snap Sasuke's mind back to reality. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second as he stared into Naruto's determined eyes, his black markings slightly receding.

But as fast as it had come, it was gone. Sasuke let out another howl as the black markings stretched across his body once again, almost covering his entire body this time. Naruto didn't have the time to react before Sasuke's hand shot up to grab his arm and twist it. There was a sickening crack and a scream as the blond fell to his knees.

"Teme!" Naruto roared, his patience finally running thin. "Is this what Sakura-chan died for? To have you lose control and harm your own friends?"

"We were never friends," Sasuke snarled viciously. "I never asked you to pity me. I don't need any of you to help me. What do you think that will achieve? Do you think that you'll be able to redeem yourself by trying to save me? Admit it Naruto, you always try to make yourself out to be the good guy but deep inside, you're a monster just like me."

"I never said I was the good guy!" Naruto shouted, squeezing his eyes shut in pain.

"But you always act like it." Sasuke sneered in contempt. "It's obvious Naruto, don't even try to deny it. You want to believe that you're not as bad as the rest of us, but deep inside you know that you've done things that you'll never be able to take back either. You try to think that you're the most selfless guy in the world, but don't think that I didn't know that you were only trying to help yourself when you saved me! Or even when you agreed to abandon the mission with me- you didn't do it for Sakura, you only did it so you could feel human one more time."

When Naruto's eyes snapped open, they were bright red.

"Maybe you're right!" Naruto snarled back, standing back onto his feet. The scars on his cheeks once again stretched across his skin to resemble whiskers. His eyes were a shade of bright, angry red, different from both Sakura and Sasuke's eyes. They were more vibrant, more wild. His pupils thinned out into slits, almost making him look animalistic. "Maybe I just saved you and tried to save Sakura-chan because I wanted to feel real once again, but this time it's not like that!"

"I knew it." Sasuke said with a feral grin. "Did you really think you could trick us? You're just as bad as the rest of us, maybe even worse. At least we're sincere about who we are when we're with each other. We don't hide behind a mask like you do, pretending to be good people. We just accept ourselves for who we are, while you still insist on trying to hide it."

Naruto seemed to be completely unfazed by his broken arm now as he glared at his best friend standing in front of him.

"Maybe I was just trying to prove to myself that I'm still human- so what? It's still better than what the rest of you did! You just gave up without even trying in the first place!" Naruto shouted back, as the red aura around him grew bigger. "I'm sorry I'm not content with being a monster, like you are!"

"News flash, dobe." Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "The more you try to be human, the weaker you are. You can't survive in this world if you try to be good."

"That's a load of bullshit!" Naruto retorted. "All you care about is getting stronger all the time for your stupid revenge! What are you going to do once you've succeeded in that? You can't go back to living a normal life once you've gone too far."

"Enough with the words," the raven haired man coldly stated. "I'll show you that being stronger is the only way you can survive."

His hand started to crackle with a strange bright blue force that strongly resembled electricity, as the corner of his lips were pulled back into an arrogant smirk

"You leave me no choice, teme." Naruto answered back with a grimace. A vibrant blue sphere formed in between his hands as he brought them together, as if he was gathering all of his energy into that small ball.

They stared at each other for a split second before they finally clashed.

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* * *

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Naruto's face was a bloody mess as it broke into a grin.

"I have to admit, you're pretty good teme." he panted, laying down on the rubble a couple of meters away from his best friend.

"Same goes to you, dobe. Didn't think you had it in you." Sasuke answered him with a smirk, equally out of breath. He was also on the floor, trying to stop the bleeding from his fresh wound.

They both lay still for a second, not saying a word.

"So I guess we can call this a tie." Naruto chuckled, wiping the blood off of his forehead. His eyes were blue again as he stared up at the infinite sky above them.

"Aa, but it's only for now," the Uchiha answered him. His eyes were once again a shade of ink black. "I'll become more powerful than you one day. It's insulting to think that we're on the same level."

Naruto chuckled. "You never learn your lesson, do you? Just admit it that you'll never be better than me." They were quiet for another moment. "I hope I proved my point, teme. Don't you ever freak out on me like that ever again."

He shifted his gaze over towards Sasuke when he didn't answer. Sasuke was speechlessly staring up at the sky, his face carefully blank. The look in his eyes was completely empty as he breathed in deeply.

"Sakura-chan wouldn't want this." Naruto spoke again, his voice becoming much more quiet. "She would never want you to become like that because of her. Our powers are dangerous, Sasuke-teme. I don't know if you've noticed it, but they're much darker than hers. I don't think we'll ever be able to control it in the way she did."

Sasuke was quiet once again. "Do you think she's finally at peace?" he finally murmured, closing his eyes.

Despite the circumstances of the entire situation, a small smile appeared on Naruto's face as his blue eyes brimmed with unshed tears. "Yeah. Sakura-chan's definitely in a better place now." he answered, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. He really had to stop crying- people were going to give him too much crap if he cried so easily every single time.

Their fight was over. It had lasted for less than a second, but there was an unspoken finality in the air between them. They were best friends for a reason- this was another obstacle that they would be able to overcome together.

"Shit Naruto." Sasuke cursed hoarsely. His cool façade finally broke as his voice betrayed the inner turmoil he felt inside. "After my parents died, I thought I would never be able to grow so close to someone ever again. What am I going to do now that she's gone?

Naruto was speechless as he listened to his best friend open up for the first time in his life. There was something about Sasuke's vulnerability that almost scared him- it just wasn't normal. It made Naruto feel uncomfortable yet extremely sad at the same time.

"You simply move on." Naruto told him quietly. "We honor her memory and move on. That's probably what she would want. It's going to be hard at first, but I know you teme. You're definitely stronger than this. She probably thought so too."

Sasuke shakily got to his feet, ignoring the gaping wound in his shoulder where Naruto's sphere of energy had gotten him. Blood gushed down his torso as he strained his muscles, yet if he felt pain, he didn't show it. He quietly walked back over towards the pink haired girl once again, kneeling by her side. Naruto followed suit, an equally big wound in his abdomen, as a result of Sasuke's attack. He knelt down on the other side.

"What if I can't say goodbye?" Sasuke's tone was carefully flat as he stared into her lifeless green eyes.

"You have no other choice." Naruto told him gently, reaching up a hand to close her eyes. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" he softly spoke again, staring into her relaxed face. "Even with all the blood and dirt, she's one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen."

Sasuke managed to weakly snort at him. "You haven't even seen that many girls in your life, dobe." he retorted. "But you're right for once. She's beautiful."

And she was.

Even in death, Sakura's body was almost like a work of art. Her small lithe body was graceful even when she was lying on the ground. Her skin had always been pale to begin with, so it was hard to tell that her heart had stopped beating. Her pink hair splayed out underneath her head- even when it was matted with blood, it was still beautiful.

"She almost looks like she could be sleeping." Naruto whispered, and Sasuke silently agreed.

A couple of meters away from them, Deidara's mouth fell open. "What the hell is going on?" he asked, looking extremely confused. "Weren't they fighting like a second ago? They look like they're getting along just fine now."

Kiba shrugged his shoulders. "That's Naruto and Sasuke for you," he said with a small grin. "You learn to get used to them after awhile. They've been like that since the very beginning- they'll fight to the death one minute, and then they'll go back to being best friends as if nothing ever happened. They're complete opposites, which makes them constantly clash- but in the end, they'll go back to being friends no matter what. It's as if there's a mysterious force pulling them together."

"Sounds familiar." Kisame muttered, shooting both Deidara and Sasori not so subtle glances.

"I don't mean to sound insensible, but shouldn't we be leaving right now?" Sasori asked, blatantly ignoring Kisame's looks. "That explosion was huge, the police are bound to be here soon. All this mess around us if enough to keep us hidden from view for now, but it won't be long until someone looks through all the debris for survivors. How are we going to ever explain _this _if we get caught?"

Itachi shook his head, as he fixated his gaze among the two younger boys kneeling around the pink haired girl. "Not yet." he murmured. "They still have one more thing to do before we take our leave."

"What are you talking about?" Neji's composure slightly cracked for the first time- the stress of all the events in the past 24 hours was finally getting to him. "There's nothing left to do Uchiha. I'm sorry to sound so blunt but we'll have the time to mourn Sakura's death later, when we're somewhere private."

"You shouldn't speak before you get the facts straight, Hyuuga." Itachi answered bemusedly. "Just watch and you'll understand."

They all turned their gazes towards Naruto and Sasuke.

"What the fuck is that?" Kiba crudely asked, taking a step back in astonishment. No one quite knew how to answer him- they were all too busy being transfixed on the mesmerizing sight before them.

There was a thin layer surrounding the two boys. It was similar to the red and blue barriers that usually appeared around Sakura, except that this time, it was a shade of transparent, pure white. Neither of them seemed to have noticed what was going on around them- both of their gazes were concentrated on the girl.

Sasuke and Naruto's eyes were red again- but this time, the black markings did not appear on Sasuke's body, nor did Naruto's scars lengthen into whiskers. They did not display their usual loss of self-control as they were oblivious to everything that was going on around them.

Sasuke was holding onto one of her hands while Naruto tightly held the other. There was a small trickle of light that was flowing into her body through the contact- it was barely visible but it was still there.

The rest of them could only simply watch in silence as the color flooded back into her cheeks almost agonizingly slowly.

When the white barrier finally faded away after what felt like hours, Sasuke's red eyes darkened into a shade of charcoal black and Naruto's orbs faded into their usual sky blue color. The small light that had appeared at their connected hands finally disappeared, leaving behind no trace as everything returned to normal.

And then-

Sakura opened her eyes again.

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* * *

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"So are you saying that they somehow transferred their energy into her and _revived _her?"

Shikamaru looked extremely alert for once, while Shino's face was unreadable behind his dark sunglasses as always. They both sat on the couch back in their headquarters, across from the group who had just returned barely a few minutes ago.

"I know it sounds completely ridiculous, but just hear me out." Kiba enthusiastically told him, flailing his arms around. "So she was _definitely _dead for at least maybe ten minutes- Naruto and Sasuke both go all crazy, attacking each other and they suddenly make up again. After that, they go sit by her side, and each of them holds one of her hands- some weird white aura surrounds them, and some kind of bright energy flows out of them and into her body. After that, she gets up like nothing happened- she fainted a few seconds later, but her _heart was still beating_!"

"And you're sure she was definitely dead?" Shikamaru asked, raising an eyebrow.

The canine boy was starting to look frustrated. "How many times do I have to repeat myself?" he asked with a frown. "She was dead! You can ask any of the others, they were all there to witness it!" He pointed at the group of people behind him.

"Can you confirm this?" Shino asked, turning his head towards Itachi.

"Yes." The older Uchiha confirmed with a nod. "Sakura was heavily wounded during our fight with Orochimaru. He found out about one of her weaknesses- apparently, she is weak against a rare earth metal called zirconium. He had bullets forged of that same material, and succeeded in landing a bullet in her shoulder. In addition to all that blood loss, the zirconium running through her system crippled her powers so that she couldn't heal herself- when the explosion went off, she used up the last of her life energy to force out her powers in an attempt to create a barrier around us to protect everyone. All of that should have killed her. I personally saw her breathing stop when she supposedly died."

"And what happened to Inner Sakura?" Shino inquired. "Hidan told us that she might appear. Did she take no part in this at all?"

The entire group fell silent as Inner Sakura was mentioned. "I don't think we have to worry about Inner Sakura anymore." Sasori quietly told him.

Deidara glanced over towards the closed door of the room where Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto were currently resting in. "Orochimaru is dead, Sound Corporation has been destroyed, Sakura-chan is fine and all of us are still alive. I guess we can safely say that it's over now, right?" His blue eyes looked tired, but there was a satisfied look in them. "I have to say, I never liked those two brats to begin with, but I guess they're alright in the end. They protected Sakura-chan with everything they had, so I respect them for that."

There was a moment of silence.

"Let them rest now." Shino finally said, after a few seconds. "They deserve it."

.

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* * *

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Sakura's eyes snapped open as she abruptly woke up in a cold sweat.

She felt extremely disoriented for a second as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. When her mind finally registered that she was still alive and breathing, the fog in her brain started to dissipate as she realized that she was in one of the spare rooms in the Akatsuki headquarters. Feeling slightly confused, she tried to move off of the bed she was lying down in, when she realized for the first time that she was not alone; she was trapped between two very familiar and (not to mention) heavy bodies.

She looked to her left to see a familiar shade of raven hair that recently seemed to be capable of making her heart beat faster- he was still fast asleep. To her left, a familiar tuff of blond was slightly stirring as Naruto slowly awoke at her sudden movement. His azure eyes slowly blinked open as he took a couple of seconds of his own to adjust to the new surroundings as well. He looked slightly dazed before his eyes finally focused on the girl sitting up next to him.

"Sak'ra-chan?" he muttered sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "Is that you?

"Yeah, it's me," she whispered, feeling relief wash over her body.

He suddenly bolted up, his eyes widening as he took in her appearance. "Sa...Sakura-chan?" he choked out, looking panic-stricken. "How are you feeling? Are you alright? Does it hurt anywhere?" She blinked back in confusion at the sudden attack of questions. "I thought you were..." His voice trailed away but she knew what he was trying to say.

She shook her head. "I don't know either," she answered softly, lowering her eyes. "I know I was dead, for sure. I don't know how to explain it, but... I just _knew. _The next thing I know, I'm back here." She winced, looking down at the wound on her shoulder where Orochimaru had shot her- it was carefully wrapped in clean bandages. "As for how I'm feeling... well I still feel like I've been shot but it certainly doesn't feel like I've died and come back to life."

Naruto let out a hoarse laugh, shaking his head. "Sakura-chan, you're seriously the luckiest person I've ever met in my life. I mean who the heck dies twice and comes back to life both times?" He looked incredulous. "But I'm glad you're alive and well."

"What happened Naruto?" Sakura finally whispered, getting to the point. "What happened after I died?"

The blond avoided her gaze, looking at his unconscious best friend instead. "As much as I'd love to be the one to tell you, Sakura-chan, I don't think I'm the right person to ask. You should wait until Sasuke-teme wakes up- I'm sure you guys will want to talk." He stretched his arms out before hopping off the bed and onto his feet. She looked like she was about to protest when Naruto shook his head silencing her before she could even speak a single word. "We'll have plenty of time to talk later, Sakura-chan. As much as I hate to say it, you should stay next to Sasuke's side. He probably has many things he wants to tell you as well."

Sakura simply watched as he gave her one last bright grin, before slipping out the door. He quietly closed the door behind him, making sure not to make any unnecessary sounds that would wake the sleeping Uchiha up.

She turned back towards the sleeping raven haired man observing the smooth planes of his face. He was truly breathtaking, no matter what he was doing- maybe even more so when he was asleep. His face was devoid of its usual glare or smirk for once, and she realized that despite his tough demeanor, he was just a boy like everyone else. It was the first time she had seen him look so vulnerable- he looked so calm when he was asleep, without the usual hidden pain he kept locked inside of him.

She unconsciously brought a hand up to brush his cheek. Her breath was momentarily caught in her throat as his eyes snapped open as soon as her skin came into contact with his. Unlike both Naruto and Sakura, it took him less than a second for him to realize his surroundings, perhaps out of pure habit. When he saw Sakura sitting up next to him, he immediately sat up into an upright position and grabbed her by her shoulders.

"Sakura?"

His voice still sounded hoarse from not being able to speak for as long as he had been unconscious. He immediately let go of her when he saw her wince. His eyes looked down to see her bandaged shoulder, and he looked away, looking slightly guilty.

He finally looked back up at her again. "Are we both dead?" he quietly asked, slightly throwing her off guard.

Her eyes slightly widened before she burst into quiet giggles. He looked a bit irritated at her clear amusement at his serious question. "We're not dead, silly," she said, when her chuckles finally died down. "We're both alive and well, and so is Naruto. He woke up right before you did, and went to check up on the others. I think everyone else is fine too."

His face did not falter. "I saw you die though," he told her quietly, his obsidian eyes never looking away from her. "I felt your heartbeat stop. How is it possible that you're still alive?" The slight tone of disbelief in his voice did not escape her.

Sakura softly smiled at him. "I know it's hard to believe, and trust me- I was just as surprised as you were, but I can assure you that we're both alive."

A look of realization suddenly came across his face. "Could it be..." he murmured to himself. She shot him a confused look.

"What happened after I passed out?" She asked him quietly. "I need to know everything, Sasuke."

He hesitated for a moment, but the determined look in her eyes told him that she would not give up until he told ever everything. He also knew that more than anyone else, Sakura had the right to know about everything that had happened.

And so he started to talk. He told her about everything- from Inner Sakura, to Orochimaru's death, to Gaara, to the self-destruction device, to how she had used up the last of her life force to protect them from the explosion, to how she had died, to how he had fought with Naruto, and finally, about the mysterious glow that had emitted from Sasuke and Naruto's bodies and into her.

She was quiet for most of the conversation. To his relief, she did not stop him to ask him about small things or details that he might have left out- she simply listened to what he had to say, her face not changing throughout the entire talk. When he finally finished talking, he waited to see her reaction, something that he couldn't predict for once.

Sasuke was certainly not expecting what she did next.

She closed her eyes and softly held his hands, not speaking for an entire minute. There was a hushed silence as he found himself unable to say anything else as well. He could only stare into her eyes as he waited for her to speak again.

"You saved me, Sasuke."

She opened her eyes again, a look of awe overcoming her pretty features. "I don't know how I didn't notice this as soon as I woke up- but I don't have my powers anymore, Sasuke. Nothing at all."

He looked surprised for a moment. His hand automatically reached for the curse mark that had previously appeared on the back his neck. He couldn't see it, but the look on her face was enough to tell him that it was no longer there either. "Do you think our powers have disappeared because of that?" he asked her quietly.

"Are you disappointed?" she finally asked him, avoiding his question.

Strangely, he found himself not too disappointed at the loss of power. Sure, it had been exhilarating, but only while it had lasted. There was something sinister about those powers that even he did not want to keep around.

"You know Sasuke," she said, with a small but happy smile playing on her lips. "I know this is going to sound ridiculously cheesy, but from the beginning I had a feeling that you were going to be an extremely important person to me. Of course at the time I didn't know if it was going to be in a good way or a bad way- but now I know. It kind of feels like we were brought together by fate, doesn't it?"

He shook his head, confusing her a little. "We weren't brought together by fate," he told her quietly. "We made our own fate."

And then he finally kissed her.

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* * *

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It took some time, but things gradually started to return to normal.

Well, as normal as it could be when it came to them.

Despite the fact that Sakura had been living with her powers for the past several years, it did not take her much time to get used to living a normal life once again. She had no difficulties in settling back into a life as a completely normal teenage girl, much to her joy. However, the people around her never failed to notice how her brilliant viridian eyes looked like they flashed threateningly red at times when she got extremely angry. It was so fast that no one knew for sure if it was actually there or if it was part of their imagination- but it was something they would never know for sure. It also did not escape them how she still seemed to be much stronger than the average full grown male. For this, many did not stick around to test her patience.

Sasuke's curse mark disappeared without a trace, and so did Naruto's mysterious whisker-like scars on his cheeks. Both of their powers never resurfaced again, and even though no one would ever know what had exactly happened, they had a strong suspicion that their powers disappearing had something to do with the moment when the mysterious white glow had seemingly brought Sakura back to life.

The Akatsuki members had continued on with their usual lives. Sasuke and Itachi hadn't exactly made up, but they had met once and miraculously Sasuke had listened to everything his older brother had to say to him. Their relationship remained slightly strained; however they seemed to have reached an understanding.

The Shinobi had officially disbanded as soon as the whole incident died down. Shikamaru and Kiba had returned to their respective families, and as impossible as it was to fully make amends, they were still working on it. Neji had also returned to his family, and he had taken up the official position as his cousin, Hinata's, protector. Naruto carried on his lifelong dream and opened a ramen stand that became fairly successful- money had never been an issue for him, as long as he was happy.

They never saw Gaara again. No one was sure if the red haired mysterious boy had survived the explosion or not, but Sakura firmly believed that he was still alive as well. Sasuke was never one to believe in false hopes, but he secretly believed that Gaara was still alive as well. Briefly after the incident, the neatly folded picture of a younger version of Sakura and Gaara had showed up at their doorstep- the very one that the red haired boy had carefully hidden behind the picture frame with his siblings.

True to his word, Sai had completely disappeared right before the whole ordeal with Sound Corporation. He returned to the city around two years later, and gradually started to form a real friendship with Sakura, much to Sasuke's displeasure. It was a painfully slow process, but Sakura was patient as even though Sai never quite got there, he still tried hard.

Sakura and Sasuke, on the other hand, both started entirely new lives. Sakura graduated from high school with flying grades once she applied her head to it, and went off to attend a university at a nearby city. She returned home after finally finishing four years of studies- Sasuke eventually returned to the Uchiha compound and took back the business that had previously belonged to his father. He would never admit it, but he patiently waited for her throughout the years. When she finally settled back home, he eventually proposed to her- even though it took him some time due to his immense stubbornness.

Sakura had always dreamed of happy endings and Prince Charmings. She didn't get the royal castle that she had always imagined, and Sasuke was far from the warm and gentle ideal man that she had always wished for-

But when she found herself staring into Sasuke's bottomless obsidian eyes when he told her that he loved her for the first time, she found herself realizing that what she had now was better than anything she had ever dreamed of.

* * *

**THE END**

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_A/N: Even if I apologize more than a thousand times, it still wouldn't be enough to make up for the fact that I took so long to update. Thank you to everyone who stuck around until the end, and I hope the ending didn't disappoint you too much. Lots of love to all of you. _


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